Beyond the call of duty
by Nuredhel
Summary: If Amy had known that this day would end up With her and her Group consisting of a nun, several schoolchildren, some college kids, a teacher a Family and a hitman being caught in a strange alien world being chased by ugly dudes With swords and Spears she would have stayed in bed. But no, duty called and she answered and the shit hit the fan. Humans/elves/orcs,
1. Nuns, guns and goths

**Chapter one: Nuns, guns and goths.**

Wham! The alarmclock on the nightstand beside the bed fell to the floor and if it hadn't hit a pillow it would have disintegrated into its separate components. What the fuck, had she forgotten to turn it off? It was her day off damn it. Then it dawned upon her sleep muddled brain that it wasn't the alarmclock that made that infernal hellish sound, it was her cell phone. Uh-oh, what now?

She spun around and got wrapped up in her sheets, fought her way free, grasped the phone and saw the number on the display, crap no, it was her boss. She almost fell out of the bed trying to get into a sitting position while answering the call. " Hello?"

Her voice was akin to that of a bear just coming out of hibernation, and she felt like one too. There had been too many beers last night, and a lot of fooling around but it had been fun. She could barely remember the last time she had been out with her friends and she had looked forward to a long lazy morning in bed. No such luck apparently. " Hi, it's me, Sandra, did I wake you up?"

A quick glance at the clock, four thirty in the morning, she had slept for…three hours. Great! "Of course you woke me up, what do you think I was doing at this time of the day?"

Sandra cringed, she could almost hear it. " Listen, I am sorry alright? It's just that I haven't got anyone else I can call. Both Phillip and Bill are on vacation and we are low on staff and now Sally, Benjamin and also Felipe called in sick, it's that darn stomach flu virus that's been going around lately."

She groaned, her head felt like a ton of bricks and her tongue kept getting stuck to the roof of her mouth. Seriously, she didn't feel like going to work at all " And you have to call me? It's my first day off for more than a month damn it, and I went out with the girls last night, I think I am still drunk!"

Sandra sighed. " I know, I know, just…please help me out this one time? I swear it to you, I will make it up to you. Next year I promise you will be allowed to choose whenever you want your vacation weeks, deal?"

She moaned and let her fingers run through her hair, it stuck to them, was that beer? " Fine, fine, I am coming inn, I just need a quick shower, and some coffee, black coffee, a gallon of it."

Sandra sounded relieved. " Great Amy, I will have a jug ready here at the office too, just in case. There is hopefully only one group to guide today."

She got out of the bed, feeling slightly dizzy. " Alright, but just one, so help me God. If you somehow think I am capable of guiding more than five people you are so wrong"

Sandra sniggered. " Don't worry, it will be alright Amy, thank you so much."

She hung up and Amy stared at the phone, somewhat angry at herself. Vacation? Damn it, she could have asked for a raise, Sandra had sounded desperate enough to say yes to anything as long as she got the help she needed. So three other rangers were out sick? There had been a rather terrible problem with that flu virus lately, they even had to close some schools but she hadn't gotten it, as of yet that was.

The shower sort of woke her up and she got into her uniform and downed a cup of coffee while braiding her hair and fixing her face. She looked like an extra from the walking dead, pale, grey and with bloodshot eyes. If the group she was to guide was school children they would probably think she was an addict of some sort, or worse. She almost ran down to the truck and the old pickup started, it was at least trustworthy and she could rely on it. It had plenty of horsepower and looked so worn and old nobody in their right mind would bother stealing it. She left the driveway and turned onto the road leading to the main entrance. The national park was huge and there were always people present there, after all, it was a popular tourist destination and sometimes tourists needed protection, mostly from themselves.

She couldn't count all the ridiculous and sometimes tragic cases where people or animals got into trouble due to sheer stupidity and although she loved the job and the contact with nature she could sometimes feel a bit saddened by the lack of knowledge some people showed. Last week a guy in an SUV had tried to feed a bear a snickers bar and he hadn't even understood that it was dangerous, he thought the bear was tame! Amy and Felipe had to drag the guy away from the sow and he had tried to report them to the manager for ruining his vacation. Like feeding bears was some sort of human right.

She drove fast, the sun hadn't even thought about getting up yet and the truck had powerful headlights, it was needed for there was plenty of wildlife in the area, also around the park. There were some rather interesting geological formations in the park, some extremely beautiful scenery and also several lodges and a small amusement park which had specialized in showing people the history of the valley and its past. It included a water slide in which you rode a hollow log down an artificial river and the first time Amy tried it she had puked her guts out. The guys in the control room had pulled a prank on her and turned the power up so the log had gotten a terrible speed. It had been the last time she tried that ride.

The road was narrow and long and she kept sipping coffee to stay awake, holy cow, she was probably above the legal limit still, she just hoped that there weren't any cops lurking by the road, she didn't want a DUI now. She kept her eyes on the road and knew that this was the most dangerous time of the day, the sun would soon rise and the animals were on the move. She saw moose or elk almost every day when she drove to work and this morning was no exception. She had to slow down to let two moose cows cross the road in their own tempo and then she also spotted a fox and a rather fat badger which appeared to care more about the worms and slugs laying around on the wet asphalt than the cars.

The she suddenly had to hit the break, hard. Something huge had crossed the road, barely within the reach of her headlights. What in heaven's name? An elk? But so large? And the antlers were all wrong? No, she was still drunk, her brains fried from too much booze and too much fun. It had been a normal Wapiti for sure, just a very huge buck or something. She breathed a sigh of relief when the front gate appeared in front of her and she drove to the parking lot reserved for the employees.

Sandra was sitting behind her desk and she was sweating, her eyes a bit wide and there was something akin to real worry to be seen in her usually so calm face. " Ah Amy, there you are. I am telling you, this is gonna be one hell of a day. You will not believe the shit that just hit the fan"

Amy glared at her boss. " Oh? What sort of shit? Don't tell me even more people have called in sick?!"

Sandra groaned, she was a woman in her late thirties but she looked a lot older this morning, she was a bit overweight and preferred to stay behind her desk, she didn't have the stamina nor the legs to venture out into the park anymore. Amy knew she had worked for the park service for almost fifteen years and she knew everybody like they were her own kids. Sandra was alright enough, but a bit strict at times. She didn't tolerate any sort of delays or trouble and god help the park ranger that showed up too late for work or treated the guests with anything but the outmost respect no matter how unpleasant they were.

" Oh, that is the least of our trouble, I swear to you, sometimes I bet the one up there is out to get me"

She pulled a map out from underneath the papers covering the desk. " There was a minor earthquake this night, at two fifteen. And lo and behold, it made that unstable part of White cliff canyon collapse. Rather large slide too, and two paths are destroyed so we have to reroute the tours for a week at least. The bridge was smashed to smithereens."

Amy rolled her eyes, earthquakes were common, they had at least two small ones each week but she hadn't felt anything last night? Oh well, she wouldn't have felt it if the darn volcano decided to blow it's top, she had been too drunk to notice. " Then we'll have to use the high paths, lovely. I hope we'll get a lot of women in high heels, they'll love it."

Sandra just smiled, she was used to Amy's sarcasm, When she didn't feel well it turned rather nasty. " That isn't all Amy, something has killed three deer and a moose and Will found a mauled bear. We have no idea of what caused it so everybody is to be packing just in case"

Amy frowned. " A gun? I have to carry a freaking gun?! You know I hate those things"

Sandra nodded, her eyes a bit blurred. She had to have stayed there for the entire night. " I know Amy, I am sorry, but it's the rules. And the generator is acting up once more, we have lost power and regained it seven times just within the last hour. "

Amy was about to answer when the lights flickered and went off and then there was a cracking sound and they returned. Sandra sighed and raised her hands. " See? The computers are down, each and every one and I haven't been able to reach Dave or Jen, they are out at the lake. "

Amy felt a strange chill run down her spine, it couldn't be the volcano? Was this it? She swallowed. " Magnetic interference?"

Sandra shrugged. " Heaven knows, the phones doesn't work, the walkie-talkies gives just statics and I tried the TV but it too shows just a snowstorm."

Amy bit her lower lip. " Have you sent someone to the lake area?"

Sandra nodded. " Of course I have, that geologist guy volunteered so he and Janet went an hour ago."

Amy flinched when the lights flickered again. " I thought the generator was repaired just two weeks ago?"

Sandra nodded and leaned her chin onto her hands. " It was, it ought to be working perfectly but no, it is starting and stopping and starting and stopping and I have already had guest complaining about cold water, a lack of decent hot food in the restaurant and one even claimed that her dog was afraid of the dark. This is driving me mad, I swear to you, my hair will have turned grey before the end of this day"

Amy just cocked her head. " So, can't we cancel the groups today?"

Sandra shook her head. " Nope, we'll have to refund everybody then and you know how the economy of the park is these days? We'll have to give them the full tour, even in the midst of a minor crisis. "

Amy sighed and sat down, she poured herself a cup of coffee and spat , cringing her nose. " This is lukewarm?!"

Sandra nodded. " What did you expect? The oven is running on electricity too you know."

Amy poured the cup out into the sink with a grimace of disgust, coffee was only drinkable whilst warm, otherwise it was just awful. " So, what kind of group am I to get today?"

Sandra pulled out a paper again, handed it over. " A small and easy one, they are to see the old pine forest, the hot springs and then the drop, two to three hours no more."

Amy frowned and stared at the names on the list. " Sister Margaret? A nun?!"

Sandra nodded. "Yes, from a school run by the sisters of the holy trinity. And they also run an orphanage, the kids are from that place by the way. Aged eight to thirteen."

Amy sighed. " Eight kids, that's an ok group I guess, as long as they are well behaved."

Sandra smiled. " I bet they are, the nuns are all about discipline you know. Tell them some funny stories about the animals and some facts about the park and it should be smooth sailings."

Amy looked at the clock. " When are they to arrive?"

Sandra stared at the heap of papers in front of her. " In two hours, so I kind of hoped that you could help Hank out until then?"

Hank was the park ranger responsible for animal management and Amy liked him. He was of native origin, completely in sync with nature and she admired his knowledge but also his kind personality and relaxed approach to everything. Nothing ever rocked his calm attitude, she trusted him like none other there. " Gladly, where am I to meet him?"

Sandra just waved her hand. " He is over at the garage, fixing his truck. You may find him there, I think he will go checking out that landslide right away"

Amy got up and snatched an apple from a bowl on the reception counter, she hadn't eaten at all yet and she was getting hungry. The garage was at the back of the huge building that contained both the reception, the head quarter and a restaurant with kitchens and everything. It was huge and the park's own vehicles were placed there when they weren't in use. Most of the time the garage was empty, they didn't have that many cars and all were in use most of the time. Hank was working on the truck and he swore and threw a wrench to the side, smearing grease off his hands. " Good morning Amy, Sandra called you inn?"

Amy nodded. " Yes indeed she did, so here I am. What am I to do?"

Hank closed the hood of the car with a clank, he stared at the huge dodge with an expression of both disgust and distrust. " Help me put out some signs, we have to close some paths and I bet most of the people here don't read the warnings put up outside the entrance."

She nodded and Hank put on a jacket and his gun belt and a hat. There were already a huge pile of signs saying "closed due to landslide" laying in the back seat and Hank sighed and sent her a swift grin. " The darn car has been naught but trouble since we bought it, this time it is the drive shaft I am sure, or the gear box. Heck, it can be anything, goddamn thing is teeming with gremlins!"

Amy had to grin, Hank hated that car and the car hated him back or so it seemed, it always broke down when he drove it but the others never had problems with that particular vehicle. It was actually a sort of a standing joke among the rangers, let Hank drive your car and you can be almost certain that it will break down. He managed to get the thing started and they drove off, it was still very early and nobody was out hiking yet. Hank drove by one of the lodges where you could rent a room and stopped by the garbage containers just to check that they were locked. They had started using locks on the containers after an incident with a black bear and a tourist and a bag filled with the remains of a chicken dinner. The bears could smell food even if it was locked into the trunk of a car and they would get to it, eventually.

"They have kept them locked up, good. We cannot baby sit the employees here now, we are almost out of rangers at the moment."

Amy nodded and they drove off again, normally there were about forty rangers working in the park but with the flu and some off on vacation less than half was left. They put up the signs and closed the paths with bright yellow tape saying " Do not cross" Amy knew that some would ignore the signs so they had added extra warnings to the main signs claiming that those who did had to take full responsibility for themselves and their own safety. The park could not guarantee anything. Hank then headed up towards the canyon and Amy immediately knew that something had happened, the smell was the first clue. It smelled of crushed rock and Hank sighed and parked the car, he eyed the surroundings with some caution, there was always the risk of more slides. "We were waiting for it, but damn, I didn't think it would be that bad. No, not at all."

Amy stared at the canyon, she had walked through that narrow gorge more times than she could count but now it was very changed. It was like seeing a famous skyline and then realizing that darn, most of the buildings have gone missing. The huge overhang that had hung above the small lake was gone, instead there was a steep slope and the dust still hung in the air.

Hank used his binoculars and shook his head. " The paths will have to be moved, there is no other choice. And the debris cleared out, I don't think anybody was in the area when the slide started so we won't have to worry about body retrieval."

Amy shuddered, his tone of voice was so casual, like removing dead bodies from avalanches were just normal. But there had been accidents there in the past. Five years before she started working there a huge piece of granite had fallen from one of the steep cliffs and crushed a lodge, four cars and a bridge and twenty people had been killed and six injured. The park had avoided getting sued by sheer luck, a geologist who was on their side testified that nobody except God himself could have known when that rock would fall.

They walked along the path and Amy saw that the canyon was reduced to a huge scree, there were rocks and broken trees everywhere and it did indeed look like the scene of some disaster. Hank dried some sweat from his forehead. " Weird really, the quake didn't really pack that much of a punch. It was only a mere one point four on the scale, we barely felt it at all."

Amy shrugged. " Sometimes it is the small things that does the most damage. "

Hank grinned widely. " Oh yes, like my ex-wife. Small but lethal."

Amy had to laugh, Hank was a huge guy but he had been married to a woman who was rather short and she was infamous for having the temper of a tigress with a severe toothache and the marriage had ended rather violently with lawyers, lawsuits and a lot of shit being tossed around. Luckily there had been no children and Hank had stayed clear of the females ever since. He claimed that he had learned his lesson.

Amy stared at the bridge that had crossed the river, or what was left of it. It was just toothpicks and she felt her stomach clench. Humans were really rather helpless after all, what could they possibly do when faced by such tremendous forces? It was as if everybody were just tiny ants crawling around on a giant and one day it would shake itself free of the pests. Hank made a grimace. " Right, I think we'd better return to the head quarter, there is nothing we can do here, We need heavy equipment, manpower and dynamite and time, lots of time. It will have to wait until next spring."

Amy knew that the park was struggling with the finances, heck, everybody were having problems with money these days. She was happy she had a job and that it was rather secure, she had worked there for six years now, if anybody got fired it would be the rookies, not her. They drove back in silence and Amy couldn't help it, she had to ask. " Do you think it was the volcano?"

Hank shook his head. " Nope, the tremor was too shallow, if the beast is waking up the geologist will warn us, or perhaps not. You know, avoid panic? Anyhow, if that thing blows we probably won't have time to do much anyhow, barely feel it I think. We will be vaporized in seconds."

Amy hissed between her teeth. " Gee, thanks, that makes me feel so much more at ease."

Hank sent her a wide and naughty grin. " You are welcome. But it wasn't the volcano that mauled those dead animals we have found the last twenty four hours, I wish I knew what it was that killed them, it worries me more than those darn quakes."

Amy frowned. " What do you think?"

Hank shrugged and turned the truck onto the main road. " It sure as hell wasn't a cougar, it was something much larger,"

Amy looked at him with disbelief. " Larger than a cougar? What then? Has someone brought some exotic animal and released it?"

Hank grinned again. " Not unless it came from Jurassic park or somewhere like that, I have never seen tooth-marks like that before. It looked almost canine but no wolf is that huge, or that savage. The bear was just torn to shreds."

Amy bit her lower lip. " Some maniac perhaps? With a sadistic mind? You know what some people are capable of doing?"

Hank nodded and they turned into the driveway. " Oh yes I do know what people are capable of, there is no predator more gruesome that homo sapiens Amy, never forget that."

Amy made a grimace. " I know, trust me. So, where are you going now?"

He shrugged. " I think I will be heading up towards the plateau, Sandra wants me to check the fences. It would be such a pity if that darn Mr Jackson lost any more cattle don't you think?"

Amy giggled. Mr Jackson was a local farmer who owned land next to the park and he always complained about the few wolves and bears of the park and the damage they did to his herds. The truth was that he got refunded for every dead animal he found and if the wolves really killed that many cows each week they had to be looking like stuffed sausages by now. But he did complain a lot and they had built a dense fence to keep the wolves contained, it probably didn't work but at least they had showed that they were willing to do something about the problem.

Amy saw that Hank drove off and she checked her watch. Twenty minutes left, great. She went to the bathroom, fixed her braid, added some makeup to her face just to look a little less like a walking carcass and then she went to the small room where they kept their guns. She hated guns, she never had trusted them and she only fired the shots she had to in order to keep her license. One of the other rangers was responsible for the gun locker and luckily he was there, he sat behind his desk with some paper work and smiled at Amy. " You are here for your colt right?"

Amy had found that she favoured the old fashioned guns, they were more reliable the way she saw it. " Yes, apparently we have to be packing heat to be allowed out today."

The guy scratched his chin and made a grimace. " Well Amy, there is a small problem. Bill took his gun with him on vacation, probably forgot to remove it from his car before he went and the others who are sick have also failed to put their guns back into the locker and…"

Amy crossed her arms in front of her chest. " And you are trying to tell me what?"

He looked a bit apologetic. " I cannot give you a gun, sorry, not a colt anyhow. It is the rules. Half of the guns are not accounted for and so the locker has to remain locked and the content here and available, in case of an emergency. Understand it if you can but the rules are absolute."

Amy growled. " But I have to carry a gun, or else I cannot work today and there is a group waiting?!"

He got up and walked towards a different closet, he took out a rifle. " Here, it is my private one. It is a good rifle too, old but you can trust her. I will give you an extra box of ammunition too, just in case."

Amy moaned. " Hell no Stanley, I haven't fired a rifle more than five times damn it and the cursed thing almost broke my nose."

Stanley made a grimace again and shrugged. "Sorry, it is the only alternative, if I break those rules I am out of here faster than a bat out of hell, they are very strict when it comes to the gun regulations. Just press it firmly against your shoulder if you should have to fire the rifle, the chances are that you are perfectly safe and never will have to use it at all."

Amy sighed deeply. " Alright, I will take the rifle but damn it Stanley, I don't like it."

He nodded. "I know, and believe me when I tell you I wouldn't let you use it normally, I felled my first deer with that rifle."

She took the rifle and it was heavy, she got two packs of ammunition and flung the rifle onto her back. She immediately felt like a different person and she cringed, oh how she hated guns!

She went to the square in front of the main building, trying to look calm and positive. She knew how to greet a group and catch everybody's attention but damn it, it was hard with that fucking piece of steel and wood on her back. She felt as though it would fire itself and kill someone, she felt stiff and nervous with that rife on her back, not at all her normal confident self.

She stopped, stared at the group ahead of her. There were three groups gathered there, one consisted of a nun in a nice uniform and she was rather old, beside her was a group of kids, they were all rather quiet and stood in an orderly line. She did notice two rather small boys at the back of the group, they were unusually pretty with long blond hair and rather slender build and she frowned. Eight? Those boys had to be twins and they didn't look as if they were a day more than six years of age. Too young, much too young.

The other group she saw was apparently a family, a woman with her husband and four children. She did notice that three of the children had to belong to the woman and they looked like her, brown hair and nice features. The fourth kid looked like the man, a boy of perhaps fifteen who stood there sulking with a very unfriendly expression upon his face. Amy cringed, she didn't exactly envy the poor soul who had to guide that group, she sensed a family with lots and lots of tension within.

The third group stood alone at the back of the square, it was a group of more mature teenagers and she suspected that they came from the nearest college. She had seen their teacher before, he was teaching geology and she nodded to him and he smiled and nodded back. He was a middle aged man with a bit of a belly and a receding hairline but a very friendly attitude and she had liked him a lot when she had guided him and his classes before. The group was very typical for a college, she saw one girl who apparently was a bookworm who probably already knew more about the park and the volcano than the teacher did. Then there were a couple of very pretty girls who probably was tagging along just because they had to, the very archetype of a blond bomb shell. Amy knew the type, unfortunately. They were the kind who could ruin the entire trip for everybody complaining about everything and everybody.

There were three huge guys, probably football players and all handsome and all looked very bored. A thin small boy stood at the back of the group and he wore glasses so thick they made the bottom of a coke bottle look like a contact lens. The school nerd no doubt and then there was this one girl who stood leaning against the wall, clearly signalling that she didn't give a damn about anything or anybody and that her most used method of communication was showing others her middle finger in certain obscene gestures. Amy smiled to herself, a goth. Wonderful, black black and more black and a face that looked as if she was using liquid paper as make up. The girl was pretty though, but goddamn it, what was it with that leather and spikes fashion that attracted these kids? It was terribly hot, rather uncomfortable and it did stink after a while. Well, they weren't her problem at all.

She turned to the nun and smiled. " Sister Margaret I presume?"

The woman nodded and her eyes were gentle, Amy was relieved. Some nuns were so stern and strict they made you feel as though they accused you of terrible crimes just by looking at you. "Oh yes, but do call me Margaret dear, sister is just for the other nuns. And these are my protégés."

Amy stared at the two boys, they tried to hide behind the others and were staring at the ground. "I see, I am looking forward to being your guide today."

Margaret smiled. " Oh they have been so thrilled, all of them. None of them have been here before and they cannot wait to see the park."

Amy smiled, the warm nature of this nun made her mood turn around 180 degrees and she started to look forward to the day again. " I will do my best to give them a good tour sis…Margaret. We have had to close a few paths due to a landslide but there are other easy roads we can follow. Are all of the kids wearing good shores?"

Margaret nodded. " Yes, and they have some food and drink with them as well and raincoats and a blanket each."

Amy was impressed. " You have come prepared, how wonderful. Some think they can hike through the park wearing crocs and a bikini."

Margaret snickered. " Well, you won't see me in neither, I can assure you of that."

Amy stared at the two twins, they were the most beautiful kids she had ever seen and Margaret noticed it. " Those are the youngest of the group, they are probably autistic and don't develop normally. The doctors cannot explain it, they are in fact at least twelve years of age but alas, they look like they are just five or six."

Amy frowned. " Some kind of syndrome?"

Margaret nodded. " Yes, previously unknown too. They were found in a forest outside of the city two years ago, apparently abandoned and they didn't speak any known language, just some gibberish nobody understood."

Amy swallowed. " Poor kids, are they doing better now?"

Margaret sent her a strained smile. " A little, they do speak but prefer not to and it is very obvious that they have seen or experienced something rather horrible. But the forest seems to calm them down though, and they have a weird affinity for animals."

Amy nodded. " I have read that kids with autism often has that, they seem to understand animals better than humans."

Margaret nodded and Amy saw that one of the other rangers entered the square. It was a girl named Nelly and she was just twenty years of age and a rookie. She would really have something to sink her teeth into today if she was to guide both the family and those teenagers. Amy snickered within, nobody really liked Nelly because she always tried to avoid doing her part of the shores there. She was just plain lazy but always bragging about how much she did and what a good worker she was. Amy detested such people and so did the others too. Sandra had in fact given that girl several warnings and one more would be the last. Amy almost hoped that Nelly would screw this one up, then it would be bye-bye Nelly.

Amy frowned, Nelly was actually staggering? And she looked rather green too? Was she sick? Holy shit, nobody was allowed to show up at work like that?! This was it for sure, Sandra would fire Nelly's ass and good riddance. Nelly staggered and then she took an abrupt turn towards a garbage bin and started puking into it, rather violently. The teenagers squealed and the family backed away with expressions of disgust on their faces.

Amy rolled her eyes and smiled at Sister Margaret. " Excuse me for a moment, my …co-worker seems to have a slight problem."

Margaret just smiled gently. " Don't worry dear, take your time. We have got all day."

Amy walked over and stopped, she just stared at Nelly who still puked. She could smell it, there was no doubt about it. Nelly was probably as drunk as a skunk and Amy felt a short sting of guilt. She was probably still a bit drunk too but she hadn't known that she was going to have to go to work this morning. Nelly didn't have a day off for yet another week. " Goddamn it girl, is that whisky I smell?!"

She hissed it with a low voice and Nelly made a gargling noise and continued to empty her stomach into the garbage bin. She just nodded and Amy took a deep breath of air and smacked the girl across the back of her head. " Idiot, we are short on staff already and you dare to show up for work drunk?! You are gonna get fired this time, I hope you know that!"

Nelly just moaned and Sandra came running and stopped and blinked, she stared at Nelly. " What is the matter? Don't tell me she's got the flu? I cannot have someone running around spreading that shit to everybody."

Amy shook her head, she felt a little triumphant, almost victorious. " No, worry not, she is just drunk, smells like she's been swimming in a barrel of scotch."

Sandra gasped and her eyes went wide. " Is that true? Oh fucking …"

She saw the nun and the kids and slapped a hand across her mouth with an expression of horror upon her face. "Oh I am so sorry, so sorry. I do apologize most sincerely, it has just been a morning from hell and …"

Margaret just smiled gently. " I am not offended and believe me, the kids are used to curses. The janitor on the orphanage has a language that would make a mechanic blush."

Sandra took a deep sigh of relief and turned towards Nelly. " Thank you sister, and now young lady you are to deliver your uniform and all of your stuff for you are out of here, for good."

Nelly just groaned and nodded and waddled off towards the locker room and the shower, she looked really truly like a beaten person.

Amy had a smile of bliss on her face, finally, Nelly was no longer a problem. Maybe they would employ someone who knew how to work properly.

Sandra turned towards Amy, she had a hard expression on her face. " I just got a text message from Will, he has found some weird tracks up along the creek. They look canine but are enormous and he did also find some peculiar boot prints. He claimed that it looked as if someone had been riding the animal whatever it was. So, do keep your eyes open, this is just getting more weird by the minute."

Amy remembered what Hank had said. Huge canines, she felt a chill running down her back. " I will take the short round then, stay close to the lodges."

Sandra handed her a brand new phone. " Here, just in case. It is a satellite phone, it works even now. Don't hesitate to call if something happens and I know I can trust you, or else I would have cancelled the tour, regardless of our financial loss."

Amy turned towards the group, and blinked. " What about Nelly's group?"

Sandra looked at the ground. " Amy, I know that…"

Amy crossed her arms over her chest. " No, no way! I am not freaking guiding more than twenty people under such circumstances? It is against our rules damn it!"

Sandra seemed to shrink in front of her. " Amy, I am begging you on my knees, do the short tour, follow the roads damn it. Just show them something!"

Amy almost growled. " You promised!"

Sandra rolled her eyes and clenched her teeth together. " Alright, alright, fine. I will raise your salary from today, fifteen percent."

Amy sighed, she needed the money, fifteen percent was far more than she could have hoped for otherwise. She grasped Sandra's hand. " It's a deal, I'll guide them."

Sandra sent her a beaming smile and she immediately regretted the decision. But what the hey, the day had been crazy as hell this far so it couldn't possibly get any worse now could it? She didn't know that the worst was yet to come…


	2. What the fuck is going on?

_**Chapter two: What the fuck is going on?**_

And so Amy suddenly stood there with not one, not two groups but three, and she rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. Right, this was going to be just one of those days! She smiled and tried to look professional, the children from the orphanage looked excited but the college group looked as if they were ready to drop dead from sheer boredom already. Kids these days! The family wasn't much better, the boy was still looking as if he had bitten into something rather sour and she just knew that they would be trouble.

She took a quick glance at their clothing and shoes, the group the nun had brought were alright, good shoes and the right kind of clothing too. The college group was not too bad but she could see that the two pretty girls felt uncomfortable in hiking boots and solid pants. They probably would have preferred wearing something with high heels and a lot of bling. The boys wore sneakers and Amy frowned, it didn't support your ankles at all and she feared injuries if they were to encounter rough terrain. The goth girl wore some huge black boots with spikes and studs on them and they had to be more comfortable than they looked cause if not the girl was most certainly a masochist. Amy would never have been able to walk even ten feet in something that heavy. The nerdy looking boy was probably a member of the boy scouts or something, his hiking boots looked worn and well used and oiled and he wore perfect clothing too.

She saw that the family probably had come unprepared, the mother wore a rather expensive suit and she had matching pumps and the three girls wore some jogging suits that looked rather simple but Amy did read fashion magazines and she knew that they cost more than her monthly salary. The husband was also wearing something expensive, a sort of outdoor suit that probably cost more than Amy's car. This family had money and she loathed to admit it but such clients were usually the worst type. The teenage boy was wearing some rather plain jeans and a cheap sweater and his shoes were worn and dirty. He looked like a hobo compared with the rest of the family and Amy wondered if he was rebelling against his parents by dressing like a common person.

Amy took a deep breath and smiled, it felt as if her entire face was stiff but never mind. In a few hours this would be over with and she would be given a raise, maybe the dream of finally being able to replace the old junk of a car with something a bit nicer could come true. And a new wardrobe, she desperately needed that. " Hello everybody, I am Amy and I will be your guide today, now, we are going to follow the paths and roads today due to the earthquake last night but I will show you the best spots within the park. Please do not leave the group and pay attention to the things I am saying, I know this park and its wildlife and not everything here is harmless"

The teenage boy suddenly looked a bit more excited. " Are there bears here?"

Amy nodded. " And cougars, so please, do not leave the tracks and follow me. And if anyone needs to relieve themselves or something like that there are toilets placed at the spots where the main paths cross, do not go out into the bushes or something. There is some poison ivy here"

Some of the college kids looked a bit more awake now and their teacher managed to get them into a line. The family looked impatient and the husband took a step forward. " Excuse me young lady, but how long will the tour take? I have an important meeting at two o clock."

Amy managed to keep her smile, oh sweet, that kind of a dude. " Well Sir, I guess we will be back before twelve so worry not."

The man looked stressed and she had a strange feeling that he was nervous about something. "That is good, by the way, this is my son Jared, my wife Jennifer and her daughters Primrose, Rosemary and Lucille."

Amy almost started humming the tune Scarborough fair, the names reminded her of the lyrics of the old folksong, parsley sage rosemary and thyme. It was obvious that the mother was the romantic type, who the heck names their daughter Lucille? The man smiled, it was a stiff smile that didn't reach his eyes. " I am Theodore Southall, you may have heard my name?"

Amy found some delight in having to admit that nope, no such name did ring a bell in her memory. He looked a bit shocked. " I am a counsellor to the president"

Amy smiled again, she couldn't have cared less, he could be king Tuts private masseur for all she knew. " Oh, in what field Mr Southall?"

He looked a bit proud. " I specialize in dealing with organized crime, drug related problems in special."

Amy sent him a sweet but empty smile. " I bet that must be very exciting, now if you all would be so kind as to follow me we will leave. The first stop will be the hot springs."

They left the buildings behind and Amy soon realized that the only ones who really paid any attention to her were the kids from the orphanage and the nerd, the goth and the bookworm. The teacher had obviously given up on his hope of pushing some knowledge into the brains of the other youths and he was speaking to deaf ears whenever he tried to explain any of the geological processes they were witnessing.

Jared was the one showing most enthusiasm when they reached the hot springs, he was very eager to hear what would happen if someone were to fall into the steaming hot water and Amy cringed, the kid obviously had a thing for the grotesque and the bizarre. The goth girl then described in detail how the water would boil one alive and Jared's eyes were shining, the two of them obviously matched each other perfectly. Amy managed to learn the girls name, it was Lucy and she wondered if her last name was Fer.

Mrs Southall was already having problems with her feet, she was pale and winced when she walked but she didn't complain, it was weird and Amy started to suspect that she didn't dare to complain for some reason. When Amy thought about it the woman was the archetype of the typical trophy wife, strange that her husband had married a woman with three children from before. It was unusual.

They left the hot springs and headed for the drop, it was a spot with a phenomenal view of the park but it was a lot of stairs before they reached it and the group soon got slowed down by Mrs Southall and her daughters. Even the two blond college girls were obviously displeased with the slow pace and Amy could see that Mr Southall was wringing his hands in his pockets and his gaze was locked upon his wife's back and it was murderous. Sister Margaret was doing very well, she was as agile and surefooted as a young girl and her group was acting perfectly. Amy was still a bit puzzled by the twins, they were obviously in awe of the park and their eyes were shining.

She was crossing a small path used only by the staff when she suddenly stopped and almost froze, in the mud she saw a paw print but it didn't look like the paw of any animal she was familiar with. It was the size of a frying pan and it did look canine but it was too long, not round enough. She planted her own boot on top of the print, almost to reassure herself that nothing was wrong but she knew deep within that something was going on. What the heck had made that track? It had to be the same animal that had killed that bear, she suddenly feared for the safety of her friends.

She couldn't let the group see her worries so she managed to smile and walked on, she suddenly heard the sound of someone coming in the opposite direction on the path and she tensed up but let out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Alan and Jake, two of the other rangers. They stopped and stared at the huge group and they did look a bit shocked to say the least. " Damn it Amy, that many? On a day like this? The boss is desperate for sure"

Amy just shrugged. " Yes, but it is alright. We will take the easy tour."

Alan frowned. " You do have a phone I trust? We just got almost run over by a pack of stampede buffalo, they were terrified. And I am sorry to tell you this but you will have to take the high path, the others are damaged."

Amy groaned. " Shit, don't say that! How bad?"

Jake scowled. " Like, do you have ropes, climbing equipment and a whole day kind of damaged. They are gone, simply gone."

Amy stared at the two rangers. " Are you kidding me?"

Alan shook his head. " Nope, wish I was. But it should be alright to use the high path, it was alright this very morning and it is an easy enough road to follow."

Amy sighed. " Yes, it is easy and nice but it is a bit longer than the others. We may be a bit late."

Jake just grinned. " Then they'll get more scenery for their money right? We have to go, Hank called, needs some help with the fences. Good luck"

Amy just waved them off and made the group move forth once more. It was very obvious that Mrs Southall was in pain, those pumps had to be rather hellish to walk in and the high path? It wasn't paved at all. Amy swore to herself, she shouldn't have let that woman join the tour at all, she was not dressed for it at all.

They reached the viewing point and Amy gave her little speech, told them what they were seeing and why the landscape looked the way it did. Jared and the goth girl were arguing about how long it would take for someone who jumped to reach the bottom and if the person would bounce, splat or simply explode. Amy bit her teeth together, some of the younger children looked rather shocked by their conversation and sister Margaret didn't like it at all, it was rather obvious.

Amy had a strange feeling within her gut, something was missing but she wasn't able to identify it. She cocked her head, tried to keep that professional smile and at the same time she did make sure that nobody got too close to the edge. The drop was rather deep and the railing old and rusty. Jared looked fascinated. " Has anyone ever fallen over the edge here?"

Amy smiled, she felt a sort of pity towards the lad, it was rather obvious that he was being ignored and tried to compensate by rebelling in whatever way he could. " Yes, as a matter of fact, someone has indeed fallen to their deaths from this place. It was a guy who got drunk and tried to climb down without ropes and equipment."

The boy was staring with wide eyes and the college group had fallen silent too. " Then he had to have been very drunk indeed."

It was the bookworm, the girl stood at a safe distance from the gorge and hadn't even dared looking down into it. Amy smiled. " Yes, he was very drunk but it was before my time, I hadn't started working here yet."

One of the jocks laughed and whispered to his friend. " So it happened during the Jurassic period then."

Amy managed to keep her smile, to kids like those anyone older than themselves were to be considered fossils. She wondered what they would feel about their own attitude ten years from now. Amy noticed that the nun was talking to one of the kids she had brought, it was a tiny girl with blond hair and pretty blue eyes and she looked a bit nervous. Amy approached them and sent the nun a quick glance. " Is anything wrong?"

Sister Margaret just smiled and stroked the girl's soft blonde curls. " Oh Dora here is just worried about the birds, she hasn't heard them singing all day."

Amy froze, there it was, the missing factor. She hadn't heard a single bird sing the entire day, it was actually rather creepy when she thought of it. She tried to sound calm. " It is probably the earthquake, it must have made them frightened and so they have fled but they will return."

Margaret smiled. " See? Amy knows everything about the park, nothing is wrong dear. The birds are smart and more sensitive than us."

Amy feared that this could mean that the volcano sleeping underneath the park was awakening once more, even though the geologists claimed that it was dormant and would stay that way for years to come. She smiled at the girl. " Is there any birds you wanted to see more than others?"

The girl held out a sort of card with a picture of a blue jay on it, she didn't quite dare to meet Amy's eyes. "They are pretty!"

Amy smiled and noticed that the others started to look impatient again. " Yes they are, listen, there are often blue jays near the restaurant, I bet we will see some there."

The girl smiled again and Amy signaled for the group to walk on. The high path was one they usually only used when guiding tours for people who were used to hiking and in good physical shape. It was spectacular and in her mind the best of the paths winding through the park but it followed the hills and mountains and if anything happened getting back down to the lower paths and roads could be challenging. She just hoped that they wouldn't encounter any more trouble, Mrs Southall was limping now and her face was a bit pale and sweaty and her hands were shaking too. Amy didn't let the woman notice it but she studied her for a few seconds and started to suspect that the seemingly respectable lady was in need of something that came out of a syringe, or got snorted up her nose.

They were walking along a ridge and Amy stopped to show them the rather rare mountain flowers that covered the hillside. She knew the names of every one of them and they were like good friends to her. She explained that some had medicinal values and that they were rather valuable these days. The college kids looked as if they couldn't have cared less, except the bookworm and the nerd of course. Both listened really well and Amy found that she liked those kids. Amy was about to walk on when she felt a sudden scent being carried with a gust of wind. It was sweet and sickening and she knew it well, something had died, not far from the path. The wind changed but she had determined which direction it had come from and turned around. There could be some carcass that needed to be removed, the river that ran in the bottom of the gorge was used for drinking water and shouldn't be contaminated. Hank often did that job, it wasn't pleasant but he didn't complain.

If it was a dead deer or elk they would report the cause of death too, for the sake of science. She smiled at the group and she saw that Mr Southall now looked very stressed out. " Wait here for a couple of minutes, I have to check something out. It won't take long."

The teacher just sent her a polite and friendly nod and sister Margaret looked like serenity itself with her hands folded and the kids gathered around her, well the expression mother hen did strike Amy. The family on the other hand didn't look happy at all. She hurried down the hill, the scent had come from a small holt of pines and she caught a whiff of it again. She had worked in the park for enough time to be able to determine whether or not it was a fresh carcass and the scent was telling her that whatever it was had died very recently. It had been rather warm these last couple of days and so the decomposition process went rapidly. She fought the urge to retch, damn it, it was so strong.

She found her way between the branches and stopped, stared at the body that hang from a low branch, skewered upon it. She almost screamed, felt how her stomach seemed to drop several feet and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. It was a human being, or rather, it had been a human being. She felt her eyes fill up with tears of both sorrow and fear, most of the face was just gone, ripped off or so it seemed and the body looked as if every bone in it had been crushed. A branch protruded from the chest and the blood had created a huge pool underneath the body and the sound of the blowflies and their comrades made her wake up from her shock again.

She took a tentative step forward, there was a sign on the torn shirt and she was able to see the letters through all the blood. It was one of the local girls they often hired during the most busy periods and what the heck had she been doing out there? Alone? She was supposed to work in the kitchens damn it. Then Amy felt that the stench also came from the other side of the tree and took a quick glance, wonderful, another corpse and she recognized one of the local boys, well known for his long list of girlfriends. So the two had sneaked out of the cabins in the middle of the night and come here for some romance or rather to fuck like rabbits and something had caught them. Amy felt dizzy, she started staring at the ground, it was footprints there, paw prints too, and at the base of the tree she saw something shiny and pulled it forth. It was a knife, it looked ugly and primitive but it was sharp and very dark in color and she dropped it again, it felt…wrong.

God, what was she to do? She grasped the phone and tried to call the head –quarters but she didn't get through, static was all she heard. Wasn't these phones supposed to work no matter what?! She tried again, rather frantically, hysteria was beginning to set in and she felt herself tremble. A few dead animals was bad enough, dead people well that entered a whole different league and she knew that she had to get hold of the sheriff and the park leaders too. They would have to close down for days, if not weeks. Shit!

Amy bent forward, forced herself to breathe slowly. She counted backwards from twenty, remembered what her tutors had told her when she started in this job. If something goes to hell, at least don't let the guests know about it. They are here to have fun and learn, not to be scared shitless. She managed to calm down but she still felt rather sick and she took a deep draught of her bottle of water. It tasted like plastic and she had a sensation of being caught in some sort of surreal nightmare. "Right girl, go back to the group and bring them back home, tell them something they will believe but not the truth."

Her inner voice was trembling too and she walked back towards the group and tried to look as if she didn't have a care in the world. It failed for sister Margaret stared at her and the nuns eyes were concerned but gentle as always. " Is something wrong dear?"

Amy swallowed hard and shook her head. " Ah, yes and no. It is nothing you need to worry about, I just found…a couple of dead deer. It could be lightning, I have to report back to the head-quarters but I can't get a signal."

The teacher looked interested. " Dead deer? Poor things, well, this area is famous for its thunderstorms. The one three years ago knocked out the electricity grid for almost a whole week."

The nerdy boy walked forth and cocked his head. " Aren't that a satellite phone? It ought to work even if there are no cell phone signals to be found."

Amy nodded. " Yes, my boss said the same thing. "

The boy grasped the phone and stared at it, then he started turning the buttons and Amy felt a sudden urge to ask him to return it but something about the way he used the buttons told her he knew what he was doing. " That is weird, all the frequencies are jammed, or just gone?"

Amy frowned. "What do you mean gone?"

The boy turned the buttons and increased the volume, they could all hear crackling noises. "All we hear here is the big bang!"

Amy felt nauseous, her head was spinning and she had to discretely pinch her own thigh to prevent herself from revealing her distress. " Maybe it is broken somehow?"

The boy pouted. " Possibly, but I don't think so, it looks alright, and it has a full battery too."

Amy was about to answer him when she heard a weird whistling sound and then a sharp smack as if something hard hit the rocks behind them. She was confused for a second, the sound came from where Mr Southall was standing and he looked shocked. Then she heard the bang and realized what she had heard, a shot. A bullet had hit the rocks straight behind the man's head and she let out a gasp before she yelled. " Everybody, get down, somebody is shooting at us"

The kids obeyed immediately, pale and scared and even the college kids sought cover behind the rocks. Mr Southall had ducked for cover behind a huge boulder and he was white as a sheet and shivering. There was another bang and shards of rock flew around him, a bullet had hit the very edge of the rock he hid behind. Mrs Southall was shivering and her eyes were enormous, the girls were crying and Jared was hiding behind a root and he was in obvious shock. Amy couldn't believe it, was somebody perhaps mistaking them for an animal? Had the situation made the other rangers a bit too trigger happy? She yelled as loud as she could. "Stop shooting, there are kids here, we are people, not some deer or bear!"

The answer was another shot, the bullet whistled through the branches of a pine and shattered right above Mr Southall's head. He yelped and crouched down. Damn it, whoever this was, he was shooting at Mr Southall, not the others. Amy stared at the terrified man, he was close to the breaking point. Drug related crimes? Oh she bet he had enemies, rather powerful enemies, enemies mean enough to send someone to eliminate him even in front of his own family.

Another shot, they appeared to become more sloppy, as if the shooter was getting desperate. She yelled at Mr Southall. " Stay down, do not move. The shooter has to be hidden in the bushes on the other side of the valley, he can't get a clean shot unless you move. Stay there!"

Mrs Southall was crying, she looked absolutely terrified and the college students were shivering too. The two pretty girls were crying and the goth girl sat underneath a rock and her face had a strange expression.

A bullet shattered against a rock to Mr Southall's left and he shrieked and got up, he was grasped by panic and didn't think. He left his safe cover aiming for a much larger boulder along the path but he didn't make it that far. Amy screamed at him. " You moron, stay down!"

The man was running rather well, he had probably spent many hours in a gym to be able to look that athletic but he couldn't outrun a snipers bullet. Suddenly it looked as if his head had been hit by something rather hard, it sort of flew to the side and he fell down. Blood was gushing out of his neck and throat, there was a hole through it the size of a fist and Amy felt a weird sensation of curiosity. It had to be a rather powerful rifle, and one with a huge caliber too, perhaps a caliber fifty. Blood spurted several feet out of the wound and there was some ghastly gargling sounds and the body jerked violently, then it became motionless and Amy just stared, she couldn't do anything but stare. The kids were crying now, and Mrs Southall was making some mewling sounds, her eyes were enormous and black. Shit, she was going into shock.

Amy had no idea of what to do now, they were pinned down, if the sniper wanted to shoot the rest of them too he had them right at the worst point possible. There was no way out of there that didn't expose them in some way and Amy felt so terribly helpless. The children were terrified and probably unable to do anything at all and she could see that the teacher was in shock too. The only one who seemed to be alright was the goth girl, her eyes were almost sinister. She looked at Amy, nodded slowly. " He is behind that huge pine with the broken top, I saw the flash from the muzzle. It is a sniper rifle."

Amy crept closer to the girl who appeared to know what she was talking about. " it is just one man, and he is probably very good but hasn't practiced for a while. Some of those shots were very sloppy"

Amy stared at Lucy. " How the hell do you know this?!"

Lucy grinned widely. " My father is in the army, as a sniper. He has taught me a lot."

Amy gasped and remembered the rifle she carried. " Can you hit him from here? I have a rifle, it is good."

Lucy shook her head. " That is a Winchester isn't it? Standard hunting ammunition, and a rather high muzzle velocity. Too much distance, the bullet won't make it half ways across the valley."

Amy groaned. " Darn, darn, darn. What do we do now?"

Lucy looked calm. " He was firing at Mr Southall, and he hasn't fired again after he hit him. The sniper was after him, and nobody else. I think we are safe."

Amy frowned. "Are you sure about that?"

Lucy shrugged. " Nope, he could be some madman trying to eliminate the strongest member of the group first."

Amy felt a tingle of anger. " The strongest?"

Lucy nodded. " Yes, it is standard procedure. Kill the people who are capable of fighting first, that means soldiers, men, and Mr Southall was in that target category wouldn't you say? Our teacher is too old to be a real threat, the children are a non-target and you and Mrs Southall are women and probably not regarded as a threat, until further notice."

Amy felt morbid. " So the sniper over there is military trained?"

Lucy nodded. " Most certainly, probably a veteran or something. The rhythm and precision makes me guess he's been fighting in Afghanistan or somewhere like that."

Amy tilted her head, she felt her heart beating like a drum in her chest. " Why do you think that?"

Lucy sent her a swift grin, it was all teeth, more like a sneer than a smile. "They fire a few shots to take down some insignificant targets, and when the main target comes to investigate they make the kill."

Amy rolled her eyes, now she knew why that girl was so freaking morbid. " They bait their target?"

Lucy nodded, " Yes, or keep firing to make the target so scared it forgets about seeking shelter and makes a run for it. Mr Southall was what they refer to as a _rabbit_ "

Amy bit her lower lip. " But what do we do? We cannot stay here? Will he fire at us again?"

Lucy shrugged. " Only that sniper knows for sure."

Amy turned around. Jared was still hiding and his eyes were dark. " Jared, does your father have enemies who would want to murder him? "

The boy made a weird sound, it sounded like a snort. " Enemies? Gee, where do I start, the mob, several drug cartels and a whole lot of street gangs too. It could be any of them!"

Amy knew that many veterans had problems finding jobs and if someone paid some desperate ex-sniper enough it could turn anyone into a killer, in special if you had killed before. Mrs Southall was sobbing, she shook all over. " It is that Fernandez guy, he promised he would see Theodore in a coffin before the end of the month!"

Amy sighed and tried to get an overview of the situation. She stared at the scattered group. "Is everybody ok?"

There were nods but then she did notice that sister Margaret was rather grey and she was sweating. " I am sorry dear, I think…I think I may have been shot!"

Amy gasped and then she crawled between the rocks towards the nun. It was a terrifying sensation, knowing that any moment a bullet could come buzzing towards her but she made it across the small gap without hearing that dreaded sound. The nun sat on the ground with her legs stretched out and she was breathing rather shallowly.

Amy let out a moan, there was blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth and there was a huge stain on her dress, she was pressing her hand against it but it was growing. Amy knew what had happened, a ricochet. The sniper had used ammunition with a very hard tip and soft core that shattered against hard objects but got deformed very fast when it hit flesh. The worst kind of ammo and she felt sick, wanted to scream for help but they were her responsibility now. She was their guide, she had to keep them safe.

Sister Margaret tried to smile. " It doesn't hurt that much, but I…I cannot seem to catch my breath."

Amy saw that the shattered bullet had hit the nun in the chest underneath her armpit on the left side. The lung was probably collapsed and there could be further damage too. Mrs Southall called out. " Is she hit? How bad is it?"

Amy called back." Its nasty, do you know anything about wounds?"

The woman crept forth, she had kicked off her shoes and her feet were bleeding. She trembled but bit her teeth together , managed to get over to Amy and the nun without exposing herself. "I used to be a doctor before I married Theodore."

She knelt down next to sister Margaret and started examining the wound and she looked rather distraught. " I think the bullet fragment has penetrated the lung but it has also torn the sack that is surrounding the heart. It makes it harder and harder for it to beat."

Amy stared at the previously so elegant woman, now she looked a mess. " Is there anything we can do?"

Mrs Southall shook her head. " Nothing while we are here, in a good hospital she would have a chance but out here she is doomed."

Amy whimpered the children let out a wail of dread and sorrow. Sister Margaret sighed , she was remarkably calm, perhaps her strong faith comforted her. " Dear, do not think about me. If I am to die then be it. It is his will after all, but I beg you, keep the children safe. Get them out of here."

Amy swallowed hard. " I will do whatever I can, I promise."

Sister Margaret smiled one last time. " You are a good girl, I know it. I can see when a soul is strong and pure and yours is special. Do not let anyone extinguish the light you harbor. And by the way, let Mrs Southall here have my socks and shoes, she needs them more than me. I think we use the same size"

Mrs Southall sobbed and sister Margaret turned her head with some effort, the two twins stared at her and there was sheer horror in their eyes. " Be good boys and do what Amy asks of you. Remember, I will always be with you."

The boys sobbed and their eyes were red and teary and Amy felt so terribly sorry for them. "We promise."

Sister Margaret was barely conscious now, she was going downhill fast. " El, Rin, you…will..go…home!"

There was a single tear running down her cheek and then her eyes suddenly were empty. Mrs Southall sighed. " She is gone, what now?"

Amy blinked hard, her eyes were filling up with tears and she wasn't really able to think. "We cannot stay here, we have to get down from this ridge, we are sitting ducks."

Mrs Southall nodded and she was staring at Amy with a pleading expression on her face. "How do we do it?"

Amy had no idea but she tried to think fast. If Lucy was right the sniper could be done killing now, or he could want to eliminate all witnesses to the murder. She swallowed hard. " Kids, listen to me. You see that fallen fir tree to your left? When I tell you to run you must run to that tree. Behind it the terrain drops rather steeply, we will be out of range for the shooter."

Mrs Southall shivered. She had taken the shoes and socks of the dead nun and she was still very pale and her pupils extremely dilated. " He will shoot us! "

Amy felt a weird sort of calm. " I will distract him, if he is an ex-military he will go for the most threatening target and that will be me."

The woman groaned. " You are mad! We cannot make it without you!"

Amy tried to smile. " I will not be an easy target, I promise you that."

Mrs Southall nodded slowly, she nodded to her daughters. " Do as she says sweethearts. Run and keep your heads down."

Amy took a deep breath and grabbed her rifle, it was ready. Bullet in the chamber, safety off, she had two packets of ammo. She quickly counted the rounds, thirty two, someone had removed eighteen bullets from one of the packs. Shit, she would need each and every one. She found a position behind a low rock and felt her hands shiver, damn it, she had to keep her cools, more than ever before. The bullets wouldn't reach the target but he would know he was being fired upon and the most natural thing to do would be to fire back.

Amy had never considered herself as particularly brave but she had to do what she had to do. She prepared to start firing when she was interrupted by a shriek from one of the kids from sister Margaret's group. The children were gathered behind a ragged boulder and Amy turned her head to see what had made the kid make that terrified sound. What she saw almost make her pass out, it was something out of a nightmare. It was a huge animal, the size of a small horse and it was clearly canine of origin but the head was rather flat and wide with terrible jaws and the eyes were glowing with malice and blood thirst. The animal snarled and walked towards them, Amy couldn't believe her own eyes. There is no such thing! Her brain was trying to tell her that this was impossible but it was real, she could even feel the stench emanating from the beast, a sickly smell of death.

The animal was grey and black in color and it was staring at the kids, licking its mouth, snarling in anticipation of a good meal. Amy turned the rifle on pure reflex, she was exposing herself but it didn't matter, she had to protect the kids. The thing wore a sort of saddle, it was insane but there were a sort of primitive contraption strapped onto its back and it looked rather nasty with bones and hair used as decorations. Amy thought for a moment that if this was a mount there had to be a rider somewhere. She aimed for the head, her hands didn't shiver now, she felt strangely cold, almost indifferent. She pressed the rifle towards her shoulder and pressed the trigger, waited for the bang and the kick but there was nothing, just a click. She gasped, pulled the trigger again, frantically. Click click click, damn it. The rifle wouldn't fire, what had happened to it?

The beast snarled, almost as if it was laughing at her. The children were too scared to run and the two twins looked even more terrified than the others, they stared at the thing as if they knew what it was. She could see that the lips of one of the boys were moving, as if he was saying something. She heard a faint whisper and didn't understand at all. " Yrch, warg"

What was that? She tried to check the rifle, the beast was ready to attack the kids when there was a roar, the teacher had jumped out from behind the log he had sought cover behind and he tossed a rock at the animals head. It hit with a smack and the thing turned around with surprising agility and speed and jumped towards the ageing man with its jaws wide open. The teacher had a branch and he was moving rather well for a man not used to physical activity. He jabbed the ragged end of the branch into the beasts open jaws and the animal let out a roar of anger and pain and staggered back.

Amy couldn't make the rifle work, it seemed that some part of it had gotten jammed. The beast was going to attack again, blood running from its mouth and it was extremely pissed off by now. The teacher was taking a few steps backwards and then he staggered, stared down at his thigh. An arrow protruded from it right above his knee and it was long and black. The man went even paler than before and fell to his knees and Amy saw that something just as bad as the nasty mutated wolf thing came running along the path. It was a huge creature which looked humanoid but its looks alone told her this was something you didn't want to meet even when you were heavily armed. The thing carried a huge black bow and several nasty looking knives and a sword and it was grinning with rotten yellow teeth. You wouldn't find anything more nasty looking even if you went looking for it at a comic con.

The creature hissed and lifted his bow to fire at the children and then Amy heard it, the roar from a sniper rifle, the buzz of a bullet and the nasty humanoid froze as his head seemed to disintegrate into a cloud of bones blood and brainmatter. The children all screamed in fear and shock and Amy felt nauseous, it was grotesque and she knew that these kids would need a lot of therapy after this experience, heck, she would need a shrink too! There are no such thing as this wolf thing and its rider but there they were, real and flesh and blood.

The animal let out a howling sound and turned around to flee, it obviously wasn't all that loyal towards its master. Amy tried to fire at it but no, the rifle just clicked again and she heard the roar of the big caliber gun once more. The beasts head exploded as had it's masters, the sniper obviously had no problems hitting these targets on the first shot, weird.

Amy just knew it, it was their moment. She got up and grasped the teacher, he was clearly in pain but not unconscious or anything. " Everybody, go go go, run for it!

The children and the youths hesitated for a few seconds, then they ran, and Amy felt how the adrenaline make it possible for her to almost carry the heavy and rather tall teacher towards the fallen fir. " Dear lord, let us make it, let us make it!"

- **cliff hanger folks, muahahahaha! I am evil, no, just a bit…weird. The name of the Goth girl was an idea I got from watching a video with Bill Engvall on youtube and I also had the idea because of a sort of test I took on facebook. You had to answer some questions and then it would tell you which angel is your guardian angel. Guess what? My guardian angel turned out to be none other than Lucifer according to that test. Right! I love heavy dark music, most of my clothes are black and I am not exactly a religious person, rather the opposite so why not? I guess my answers were honest at least so it was in a way fitting. Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere!**


	3. Out of the frying pan and into madness g

Chapter three: Out of the frying pan and into madness galore.

The kids were fast, they were scurrying like rabbits, keeping their heads low and heading for the fir. They did obey and even the college students managed to move pretty well. Mrs Southall were limping badly even in spite of wearing sister Margaret's sensible shoes but she obviously were too over flooded by adrenaline to care about the pain.

Amy held the rifle tightly in one hand and supported the teacher with the other arm. He was groaning and staggering but managed to move. The fir had sort of fallen across two rather large rocks, it formed almost a sort of gate and they rushed in underneath it, behind it there was a steep ravine going down the hill and the sniper wouldn't be able to hit them anymore, the hill itself would protect them.

Amy let out a sigh of relief when she saw that everybody had made it, the kids were gathered in a group and the college students stood pressed together too, seeking comfort in the familiar and well known. The kids from the orphanage were crying and Amy felt so bad for them. Mrs Southall sobbed. " We shouldn't just leave her like that, it isn't right!"

Amy understood what she was meaning, she referred to the nun. " I will ask someone to go and retrieve her body and that of your husband when this madness is over with, worry not. We have to think about the living first and foremost!"

The nerdy kid was shivering and his eyes were gigantic with disbelief. " What was that thing? Some mutated Neanderthal? And that…dog-thing?!"

The two twins were clinging to each other, they looked kind of strange, scared and yet at ease in some way. " It was a warg, and an orc"

Lucy snapped her head around. " Orc? Like in all those fantasy books?"

The nerdy kid suddenly had a peculiar light in his eyes. " Oh yes, I see, it makes sense."

Amy almost sneered. " No, it doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense at all so please do shut up and listen to me. We have to get down to the valley again but there are no paths here, so I need you to make a line and follow me."

The bookworm was in shock still. " There are no such things as orcs, it is impossible"

Lucy sent her a rather vicious grin. " Oh? Then what was it? Some hallucination? It shot Mr Brown damn it"

Amy felt a bit nauseous, it was just too much. She tried to think and gather her knowledge and experience, find the right thing to do. " You students, help the kids. Jared, help your mother and I will try to help Mr Brown, alright? We have to hurry!"

Everybody just nodded but Amy could see that the college girls were close to a hysteric break down, one more thing and they would snap. Jared was pale. "What if there is more of them out here, more of them orcs?!"

Amy didn't want to think about it, but she knew she had to. " If there are we will be safe whence we have reached the head-quarters. I can call the sheriff's office and even the army and there are plenty of guns there."

The group started moving, Amy kept an eye on the surroundings all the time and feared both those orc things and the sniper. But whoever it was, he had killed that orc and that warg or whatever the beast was called so perhaps he had some conscience after all. They could need a guy with a gun that actually worked right now.

The hill was steep and the ravine even more so, filled with loose rocks and there was a constant danger of rock slides. Amy had her heart in her throat, the kids were light but the students were heavy on their feet and too distraught to pay attention to anything except themselves. Before long one of the guys slipped and fell and he managed to knock two of the kids over too when he fell. Amy had to help them get back on their feet but the guy just sat there, rubbing his knee. He looked pissed off. " If my knee is damaged I will sue you all, I have a career as a quarterback ahead of me."

Amy rolled her eyes. " Listen, if those things find us your career will be a short one, as a plaything, or worse, food! So get back up and get going!"

The guy frowned but got onto his feet, the girls looked as if they were ready to piss themselves. Jared was helping his mother and the three girls were busy too, helping the smaller kids. Amy tried to look confident. " How are you doing Mrs Southall?"

The woman tried to smile, but Amy could see that she was in pain. " Better, I can at least walk."

Amy swallowed hard. " Forgive me for asking, but your husband, he didn't seem very supportive? "

Mrs Southall made a grimace. " I have filed for a divorce, our marriage has been one great lie altogether."

Amy cringed. " Ouch, I sort of guessed that you weren't all that happy."

Mrs Southall nodded. " It has become rather obvious yes, since I told him I wanted to leave. He married me because of my name, not anything else."

Amy frowned. " Your name?"

The woman climbed over some rocks, with difficulty. " Yes, I am a cousin to the president. He thought I could help him get more influence. He was wrong about that."

Amy rolled her eyes, she didn't mourn the bastard before and even less now. " That sounds like a real dirt bag to me"

Mrs Southall sent her a pale grin. " You have no idea!"

The ravine ended on a narrow plain from which a sort of ledge lead down to the valley floor. It was rather narrow but flat and Amy got the kids to run. It was no track there but the terrain was easy to run through. Mr Brown was moaning and limping and he had broken the arrow off, Amy wished they could have stopped to pull the head out but there was no time. He was very pale and sweaty and his skin kind of grey. It didn't look good at all.

Amy bit her teeth together, they had to get back, asap. They were in danger out there and she did notice that Lucy and the bookworm helped the kids more than the pretty girls and the jocks. The nerdy kid on the other hand seemed completely fascinated by the situation, he was wide eyed and eager and Amy did understand that he was unable to see the gravity of the situation.

They were running down a slope towards a narrow part of the valley with a small river at the bottom when there was a terrible roaring sound coming from the right. She turned and saw three of those orc things riding three equally nasty wargs and they were coming fast. Shit shit, holy shit! The kids saw the monsters too and screamed and one of the jocks obviously forgot about everything and started to run again, in a fit of absolute panic. He tried to run back uphill, and Amy saw that he was a fit and fast runner but he didn't get far before he fell with an arrow straight through his chest. The girls screamed and the monsters were closing in on them when Amy heard the thunder from a rifle once more and one of the orcs fell off his warg. Then the warg fell with a hole the size of a melon in its chest and the other two snarled and turned their steeds, tried to get away.

The rifle roared once more, the one orc furthest away from them jerked and he almost fell off but did manage to hang onto his warg, both riders disappeared behind a collection of cliffs and Amy knew that they would come back. A man stood up behind some rocks ahead of them, he was wearing camouflage clothing and he held a rifle too. It was huge and obviously special made and he was waving his arms. " Get over here, hurry, there are more of those devils further up the valley, I have seen them!"

Amy hesitated. The man had killed Mr Southall and also sister Margaret, although by accident. She didn't want to trust him but he hadn't shot at them again so she shouted to everybody. "Go, go go, hurry!"

The man kept an eye on the surroundings, he was surprisingly young and he looked a bit scared, but there was also something about him that told her he knew what he was doing. The group gathered among the cliffs and the sniper stared at them. The kids stared back with both fear and some curiosity and Lucy tilted her head. " Fourth company?"

He almost gasped. " Yes, how do you know?"

The goth girl nodded her head. " Your rifle, special made for desert war fair."

Amy broke into the conversation. " Now, who the hell are you and why did you shoot Mr Southall and why did you help us?!"

The man just gaped like a fish on dry land and the two twin boys suddenly did something odd. They walked over to him and put a hand each on his lower arms. The man shuddered, his eyes glazed over and he jerked. Amy stared at the boys, they grinned and their eyes were almost sinister for a moment. "What was that all about?"

The two looked like innocence incarnate. " He cannot lie anymore, has to tell the truth."

Amy didn't believe it, she couldn't believe it. Were those kids insane? The man opened and closed his eyes and he looked a bit silly. Amy gathered her senses. " Right, so first of all, who are you?"

The man sighed. " I am Franklin Donovan, I used to be an army sniper but I got some problems and they sacked me."

Amy pressed her eyebrows together, held her rifle aimed at him all the time. " What kind of problems?"

Franklin swallowed, stared at the ground. " I got mental issues alright? You cannot go around killing people without getting some sort of problems so I started taking some pills and it escalated."

Amy felt extremely stressed out, they had to get out of there right now, it was no time for an interrogation but they had to know whether or not this guy could be trusted. " So I guess you needed a job and somebody hired you to shoot Mr Southall right? And you needed the money for more pills?"

Franklin closed his eyes for a second, he seemed very vulnerable all of a sudden. He was a handsome fellow, and one Amy normally would look at twice. " Actually, it was Mr Southall who hired me"

Amy blinked twice. "What?!"

Jared seemed ready to attack Franklin but now he relaxed, seemed to understand something the others didn't. Franklin squirmed. " Yes, it is true. He came to me asking me to kill his wife and I needed the money man, I needed them bad. But then I saw who she is and I couldn't, I just couldn't. She saved my little brother five years ago, he had a tumor in his brain and she got it out of him."

Amy hissed. " So you want me to believe that you instead shot the man who hired you? Why did you shoot him?"

Franklin looked a bit proud again. " Because he was a rotten apple, a coward and an abusive son of a bitch. I have watched him for a while and I know what he was all about"

Mrs Southall was breathing shallowly, seemed to be in shock. Amy stared at her. " Mrs?"

The woman tried to smile. " The divorce, it would have cost him everything, I understand now."

Amy took a deep breath. " Right, so that mess is done with, what the fuck do we do now?"

Mr Brown was getting even paler by the minute and he was breathing very hard and the twins looked very worried. " It is poison, orcs do put poison on their arrows."

Amy turned to Franklin. " There are more of those monsters here?"

He nodded. " Yes, a whole bunch of them, up the valley. "

Amy moaned. " Then we have to take a different and longer path back home, shit. The kids are tired, Mr Brown are wounded and we have just one gun."

The sniper stared at her. " One gun? What about your rifle?"

Amy looked a bit sheepish. " It doesn't work, won't fire."

Franklin looked shocked. "Didn't you check it before you left home?"

Amy looked down, felt like a moron all of a sudden. " It isn't mine, I got it from the guy at the office, it is his"

Franklin looked even more shocked, no, aghast. " You left for a potentially dangerous situation with an untested gun?! Are you insane woman?!"

Amy growled. " Yes, damn it. Don't get all cocky, you are a murderer and I shouldn't even be speaking to you!"

Franklin looked down again, there were grimaces flowing across his face. " I am no danger to you, I swear. I wanted to save Mrs Southall here, that is all."

Amy clenched her teeth together. " Oh? Tell that to Sister Margaret, she got hit by a ricochet and died!"

The man went pale as ash and his hands trembled. Jared looked pissed off. " Hey, you shouldn't have said that, he cannot protect us if he cannot shoot damn it"

Amy bit her lower lip. " But it is his fault."

Lucy sent Amy a glare that was rather poisonous. " The fault is Mr Southall's. He is the one who hired Franklin here in the first place. Now we have to concentrate about getting back alive. "

Amy grasped a hold of herself. " Yes, so how do we do this?"

One of the pretty girls were sobbing, the guy who got shot was obviously her boyfriend and the bookworm was trying to make her ease down. The sounds she made could be heard for miles or so it seemed. Franklin tilted his head, there were tears in his eyes. " I have about ten rounds left, nothing more. But I will protect you with my life."

Amy hissed. " Yeah right, as if I believe that."

The sniper tried to smile, his eyes were sad. " I have never hurt a kid, and I never will. I do have some honor lady, do believe me."

Mr Brown gasped and had to sit down, his pupils were like pin heads and Mrs Southall swore, her daughters looked shocked. " He is going into shock damn it. "

She ripped the pants apart to lay the wound bare and Amy cringed, the shaft of the arrow was protruding from skin that was blue and black and a nasty looking liquid was oozing from the wound. It did stink to high heavens and Mrs Southall gasped. " What in god's name is that? I have never seen a poison working that fast."

The twins looked sad. " It is bad, he will die"

Amy turned her head, stared at the two pretty kids with narrow eyes. " How can you be so sure about that?"

The twins stared at her. " Because everybody dies when they get that poison in them unless there is Athelas nearby!"

Amy frowned. " And what exactly is that?"

The boys smiled. " A herb, it heals even such wounds."

Franklin was obviously restless. " We have to get out of here, now!"

Amy nodded. " Yes, there is a track where this valley meets the bigger one, we can follow it around the hills and it will take us back to the main tracks leading towards the HQ."

Franklin looked intense, he was going into a sort of combat mode. " I am sorry, but I fear that they might expect that. I saw them, and they are not stupid. They are a part of an army of some sorts or you could call me a donkey's ass."

Lucy was grinning, it had to be some sort of joke the others didn't understand. Jared looked in a way almost confused and the rest of the group was standing there, pale and scared. The kids had stopped crying but they were obviously distraught and sad. Amy wished by everything sacred that they had been spared from seeing what they had seen this day.

She was trying to help Mr Brown get back onto his feet when she heard a strange rumbling sound, at first she didn't understand and then the ground started to shake and she realized that it was a new earthquake. Franklin got up and he looked terrified. " Don't tell me it's the volcano?!"

Amy shook her head. " No, it is sleeping, damn it. It is just an earthquake."

The nerdy kid pointed towards the horizon. " Oh? What do you call that then?"

Amy turned around and her jaw dropped. There was a huge dark cloud rising towards the sky and it was growing bigger by the second. It had to be one of the smaller vents, one of those that could cause a problem but not a cataclysm.

Amy knew the procedure if this happened. Find shelter, duck and cover. But there were no huts or even sheds near by, the ash would soon start to fall and it could choke you and Franklin pointed towards the cliff behind them. " There is a cave back there, rather large I think."

Amy took a split second decision. " Everybody, to the cave. Now!"

Mrs Southall grasped her daughters and ran and Jared helped Amy getting the teacher up. The man was shaking now, almost violently and his eyes were bloodshot. She stared at the two twins. " You did something to Franklin, can't you help Mr Brown?"

They shook their heads. " No, haven't trained. Don't know how."

It was eerie how they would speak simultaneously and Amy ran and tried to suppress the fear she felt now. If the volcano really did erupt they were toast anyway. Everything within a hundred miles would be incinerated or buried by ash and she felt so sorry for the children. They hadn't even had time to really live!

The cave was a bit above the valley floor, and the entrance small but inside it widened and got large and it was obviously a part of a huge system of tunnels for there was a steady stream of fresh air coming from the back of it. Amy grasped her flashlight, she had batteries and equipment but not anything made for a long stay in such a place. They had little water and food and the situation was dire.

As if those orc things weren't enough, now they had to deal with a frigging volcanic eruption just to top it off? Was that the icing of the cake? The kids were scared again and the college students were trying to look calm but it was easy to see through their seemingly calm behavior. They were terrified. The bookworm sat down on a rock, she was pale. " If the main chamber erupts we will be vapor, it will be nothing left."

Some of the children, including the small girl who has asked about the birds sobbed and Amy sent the girl a stern look. " Don't scare the children please. It is just a minor eruption, a side vent or something."

Franklin was heading further into the cave. " I think we should get as far into it as possible, it is safer. If those monsters come after us I want a place where I can protect you."

Amy swallowed, he was serious and she nodded. " Right, see if you can find a good position."

The sniper nodded and they walked after him, the flashlights they had were soon needed, it was pitch black down there and the cave was so quiet, so scary. The children sobbed quietly and the college students were silent too, didn't speak a word. Mr Brown was moaning and he was obviously getting delirious, Amy swore to herself. She had already lost two members of her group, she'd be damned before she lost even more.

They stopped in a smaller cave, it had a flat floor and was rather smooth with a high vault like roof. Franklin frowned. " As good as any place I would recon, I can take cover at the back and there are plenty of places for you to hide."

Amy sighed and sat down, nodded at the sniper. " Do you think you can fix my rifle? I can shoot too."

He put his own gun down and took her Winchester, stared at it and started to examine the weapon. " You got it from the one in charge of the weapons of the ranger corps? He is a sloppy dude for sure, man, our sergeant would have whipped my ass if I had done such a lousy job cleaning my gun."

Amy saw that one of the college students had gathered some dry wood from the cave floor. He obviously wanted to build a fire. " I don't think that is a good idea."

The young man shrugged. " We need light, and the air moves around the tunnel system, nobody will find us just because of the smoke."

Amy sighed, yes, light would mean a lot to them all. " Do you know how to build a fire?"

He nodded. " I spent five years in the scouts, I do know how to make a nice bonfire yes."

Amy was surprised, he didn't strike her as the type of boy to be a member of the scouts. The guy smiled. " My dad was a camp leader, I had to learn everything, from making knots to reading tracks. It has come in handy."

Amy tried to look positive. " Great, then you can be my assistant."

The ground was shaking again, some looked nervous and Amy managed to smile. " These mountains are solid, and the cave is in granite. I don't think there is any danger of a collapse."

Mr Brown nodded, his eyes blurred and distant. " Amy, listen. You have to get the kids out of here, I am slowing you down. As fast as you can you must get out of here and get to safety. Leave me behind, I will be slowing you down."

Amy grasped his hand. " No way Mr Brown, leave no man behind remember?"

The teacher gasped from the pain. " Something is very odd Amy, those creatures are not of our world, I am sure of it. And the phone that didn't work? I think the volcano has created a breech between dimensions, it is a theory within quantum physics that allow for several universes to coo-exist within the same space but in different dimensions."

Amy frowned. " A worm hole?"

The teacher was sweating and Mrs Southall was wiping his forehead with a damp handkerchief. " Something like it yes, I think those monsters have entered through it."

Amy mumbled. "Let us hope that the volcano will fry their ugly asses"

She turned to the twins. " You two seem to know a lot about these things, how come?"

The two stared at each other, some sort of conversation were obviously going on but they didn't hear a sound. " They are from our world, from whence we came"

Amy frowned. " I beg your pardon?! Do you mean that you come from the same place as those ugly bastards?"

The boys were to answer when there was a rumble and a cloud of dust entered the cave, the tunnel they had arrived through had obviously collapsed. Lucy sent Amy a rather sarcastic glare. " I thought you said these tunnels were safe.?"

Amy had to blush. " Oops!"

Lucy growled. " Oops my ass, now we will have to search for a way out. What a day!"

Amy sighed. " You can say that again!"

Some of the children started to weep again and one of the pretty college girls broke into some rather hysterical wails. " We are trapped, we are trapped, we are gonna die in here!"

The scout went over and slapped her in the face, rather hard. That sort of brought her back for she stared at him with huge eyes and shock written all over her face. " And that is how you calm a hysterical person!"

His voice was almost indifferent and Franklin sent him a swift grin, it was obvious that the sniper respected this guy's knowledge. Lucy sat down on a rock and stared at the small fire, she bit her teeth together. " We have to make a survival plan"

Amy frowned. " Really? We are not going to stay here for all that long now are we?"

Lucy tilted her head, with her makeup smeared around and her hair in a wild tangled mess she did look like something out of a horror movie. Yeah right, this wasn't a Friday and it wasn't the 13th day of the month and there were no maniac with a hockey mask and a machete on the outside. It was a pack of monsters and an erupting volcano, heck, some movie directors would have sold their soul for that concept. " We don't know how long we are going to stay here, and do not try to tell me otherwise. The eruption could get larger than we think, and then it is those things. The best thing to do would be to wait for help, they are bound to be missing us soon."

Amy knew that the goth girl was right, if the group didn't return people would be sent to look for them, and those people would most certainly also encounter those monsters. It would all be because of them! She felt sweat running down her back, what if more people got murdered by those nasty orc creatures?

Franklin let his gaze swipe across the group. " First of all, do you have any food or water? The latter is very precious now, volcanic ash makes the air extremely dry, you will need to drink a lot."

The kids from the orphanage all pulled out a water bottle each and a lunch box. The college kids did have some water, a couple of bottles of coke and some sports drinks. The food they had brought was sparse, just the nerdy kid and the bookworm had something decent, sandwiches. The scout boy had a lunch box filled with energy bars and the other jock had just a bunch of snickers and an orange. He looked angry and he was still rubbing his knee, as if to really make a point of being injured. " I need at least five thousand calories a day to stay in shape"

Amy felt a need to slap him across his head. " You are not training today young man, and the children will need as much of the food as possible. So the food goes to them first and foremost. We will ration the water too."

The jock looked as if he was about to protest, but Franklin sent the guy a very hard cold stare and the lad sort of shrunk and stared at the ground. Lucy smiled. " That is smart, and we don't need much food as long as we stay put."

Franklin took a bag and everybody put the food they had into it so they could ration it out later to the ones who needed it most, none of the kids did complain but the jock was grumbling and mumbling and swearing. He didn't like it a bit.

Amy turned to Mrs Southall, she looked pale and was shaking visibly. She had watched her husband getting shot and she had tried to run with feet that were nothing more than open sores but the shakes were of a different type. Amy went over, sat down next to her. " You are in need of a fix aren't you?"

The woman jerked, then she sighed and stared at her hands. They shook violently. " Yes, oh god I am so ashamed but…"

Amy felt sorry for her, she sensed that this woman was a truly good person, somebody who may have done some stupid choices but heck, who hasn't? " Your husband made you start using uh?"

Mrs Southall sighed and shook her head. " No, actually. I was on drugs before I even met him, it…it is a long story."

Jared sent them a stiff grin. " She had an accident alright? Some kid died on her operation table and she felt so guilty she needed it to calm her nerves in order to be able to operate again."

Mrs Southall gasped and Jared smiled, a rather stiff grin. " Yes, I do know more about this so called family than you know."

Amy squeezed Mrs Southall's hand. " I understand, but it must have been hard on you."

The woman nodded. " Theodore knew, and he used it, by God how he used it."

Amy felt a cold chill running down her spine, no wonder why the poor lady looked so stressed out. Being at the mercy of a man like that had to be a frigging nightmare.

Mr Brown moaned again and Amy and Mrs Southall gently laid him down, his skin was clammy and he was shaking as if in an epileptic seizure. Amy tried to get in contact with him but it was no use. Franklin sighed and he made a grimace. " He is a goner, twenty minutes, no more."

The jock with the snickers bars spat on the ground. " He was carrying a back pack, with some food in it. We can share it."

Amy sneered at the guy. " He is dying, DYING! And you think about food?!"

The boy looked very sulky. " It isn't like he is going to need it now is it? I am hungry!"

Amy sent him a rather sweet but vicious smile. " I bet those monsters out there are hungry too, it wasn't dead elk I found you know. It was two of the employees from the cantina down in the valley. The orcs had eaten half of them. Complain again and I will make sure that you become their main dish, lots of good meat on you I am sure!"

The guy jerked. " You bitch, you cannot talk to me like that?!"

Amy snarled. " No? I am responsible for the group and its safety. If I must sacrifice someone to the wolves so to speak I gladly will if it can keep the children safe!"

Franklin sent her a small grin, there was a glint of admiration within his eyes. Damn, he was actually a handsome guy." You could make an excellent officer young lady, and you kid, if you create any more trouble I will make sure that you never will touch a football again. Understood?"

The kid pressed his lower lip forth. " I am not scared of you"

Franklin just chuckled. " Oh but you should be, I don't need a rifle to kill you know and if you endanger the group I will take action. Doubt me not, I have killed before today, I have nothing left to lose."

The kid sort of shrunk again, he was big and intimidating but like all bullies he was a coward at heart and his courage snapped and disintegrated when he was face to face with somebody unafraid. Lucy giggled and the guy sent her a glare that could make somebody spontaneously combust.

The small fire would burn out soon, there wasn't enough firewood there and Amy knew that the darkness would be absolute soon. She got the kids to gather in a circle and they sat down and made themselves as comfortable as they could. The two pretty college girls were arguing about something and Amy told them to shush, this was a good moment to rest. Mrs Southall was sitting by Mr Brown, he was barely breathing by now and Amy felt a cold knot in her stomach. It was awful to think that there was nothing they could do for the poor sweet man. Jared and Lucy sat together and whispered and the boy scout had placed himself next to Franklin, he was obviously fascinated by his rifle.

The nerdy kid and the bookworm girl sat together too, they were scribbling in a notebook and it looked like mathematical calculations. The boy was probably a genius and the girl no less intelligent. But there was little use in clever brains right now, Amy could smell the stench of Sulphur and knew that the eruption was a bad one. If anybody even noticed that they were gone it would be too late. And most would probably assume that they were dead already anyhow.

Some of the kids were crying and looked completely lost and Amy did really mourn the fact that sister Margaret was dead. She would have been able to soothe their fear and Amy feared that she would be unable to keep the group together. If they were to survive this they all had to work as a team. The bonfire was soon just embers and Amy saw that many of the children were close to panic, she had three flashlights, and didn't know how good the batteries were. They had to do without light for a while. " Listen up, it will be dark here soon, but don't be afraid. There is nothing in the darkness that isn't there also when it is light. We haven't got all that many batteries and have to save them for later. So stay close together, and hold each

other's hands or something. Or sing, that may help."

The kids didn't respond but the daughters of Mrs Southall started humming what had to be some pop song. It was probably the only thing they could remember there and then and it was at least something. Before long they were all humming along and Mrs Southall bent down and closed Mr Browns eyes. Amy sighed, he was dead then, they had lost one more person and it felt like a terrible defeat. She was supposed to keep everybody safe damn it, and she had failed miserably. But then again, who would have known that something like this would happen.

She sighed and tried to forget about the sensation of claustrophobia that descended upon her as the darkness became a solid mass around them. Her senses were working overtime trying to take inn her surroundings, the sounds became so loud, the scents so strong. Franklin was the one they had to put their trust on when it came to the orcs but the volcano was a more imminent threat now. They could smell it, the dry strange scent of ash and the air was hot. If they had been outside she suspected that they would have been in serious trouble already.

One of the college girls was sobbing, it was the one who had been the dead jock's girlfriend. "What will we do now?"

Amy tried to sound calm and friendly. " We wait."

The girl made a choking sound. " For how long?"

Lucy answered, her soft and yet strangely harsh voice sounded like a curse. " For as long as it takes stupid. Go to sleep or something."

They went silent, there were some sounds of coughing due to the air that soon became terribly dry and some kids were silently crying while someone was whispering a prayer. Amy found that strangely comforting, why she didn't know. She strongly doubted that God cared about her, but the children were innocent. If there was something divine out there it ought to help them. The twins were quiet, hadn't spoken a word for a long time and Amy found it a bit worrisome. She had a peculiar sensation when the twins were near, of something ancient and powerful, something unknown. Why she had no idea.

Time seemed to have stopped, nothing happened and Amy suddenly jerked, she had fallen asleep and didn't know for how long she had been sleeping. Something had awakened her. She felt completely disoriented and grasped the flashlight, it lay across her lap and she turned it on. The beam of light only made the surrounding darkness seem even more solid but she saw that the children all were asleep. Mrs Southall and Jared sat with the three girls between them and nerd and the bookworm lay next to each other, the notebook between them.

Amy frowned, the smell? It didn't smell like Sulphur anymore, more like a forest after a rainfall. It was odd. Had the eruption ended already? In that case it was a miracle. She then noticed that her other flashlight was gone, and so were the bag with all their supplies. The jock was missing and Amy realized what the guy had done in a flash. He had taken all the food left and tried to sneak away to eat! Goddamn idiot!

She got up, very carefully not to awaken anyone and sneaked up to Lucy, shook her gently. "Lucy? Wake up!"

The goth girl shook her head and moaned and opened her eyes. The running mascara made her look a bit like a raccoon or something like that. "What?"

Amy swallowed. " The jock, he has taken off, with the food."

Lucy swore, so badly it was a miracle she didn't catch fire there and then. " Fucking shit, what do we do?"

Amy leaned over and shook Franklin too, he jerked and was wide awake within the blink of an eye. "Is something wrong? Is the enemy coming?"

His eyes were wild for a few moments and Amy knew why he had abused medicine, his nerves were probably shattered completely. She had read stories about soldiers who never recovered from the horrors they had been through. Mankind was indeed a self destructive and violent race, violence seemed to be the answer to every question even though it never solved a problem, only magnified it. "The jock, he has taken off with the food, and one of the flashlights."

Franklin was in combat mode right away. " Damn, what do we do?"

Amy turned to Lucy. " I leave you in charge here, take my spare flashlight and wait for us. We have to see if we can find that stupid son of a bitch!"

Lucy nodded slowly and made a grimace. " Alright, be careful and make sure you whip his ass really well when you find him"

Franklin had gotten up and he hesitated for a moment, then he handed Lucy his own rifle. "Here, I think you can handle it? I'll take the Winchester, it is lighter and I have no idea if we have to cross narrow passages or not. "

Lucy suddenly looked very mature. " Thank you sir, I will take good care of it until you return."

Franklin nodded. " I know you will, good girl"

He sent Amy a stern glance. " Right then, we can track him easily enough. There is a thick layer of dust everywhere."

Amy nodded, she had already discovered a set of foot prints leading away from the cave and before long they were in hot pursuit. He had walked fast, obviously eager to get out or to find somewhere to eat all the stolen food. Egoistic bastard, Amy feared that the children would starve before long and she clenched her teeth together. She was tempted, sorely tempted to leave the idiot behind in the darkness.

Franklin was moving tactically, using the rocks and turns for cover, always having the gun ready for firing and Amy felt safe with him. It was absurd but she did. He was trained for this damn it, a survivor no doubt. They entered a rather long and winding cave with lots of loose rocks when he pointed up ahead. " Look, chocolate papers."

Amy growled. " He isn't only stealing the food, he is littering too, moron!"

Franklin flashed her a grin. " No doubt about it, you are really a park ranger!"

Amy just scoffed and walked on, behind a rock they found a whole heap of paper, empty lunch boxes and bottles. " He has been gorging himself, without any thought of the kids"

Franklin sighed. " I have encountered individuals like him before, they usually doesn't last very long in a combat situation."

Amy just sneered. "No shit, that is pretty obvious"

The tracks were leading away from the scene of the little feast and they kept following them, the air was different there, more humid and before long they heard the sound of a river. Franklin smiled. " Water, we won't have to go thirsty!"

Amy let out a sigh of relief, the kid was probably right ahead of them and she did speed up. The flashlight was a good one and gave plenty of light and before long they entered yet another cave through a very narrow and tall opening they had to squeeze through. Amy stopped when she heard a strange moaning sound, it didn't sound like a human? Franklin slowed down, the sound of rushing water was loud but there was another sound underneath it, a sort of thundering grinding noise and Amy swallowed hard. It didn't sound good at all. The cave was almost circular and the reason was obvious, it was a sort of pothole, the river dropped into it from above in a rather gorgeous little waterfall with lots of stalagmites everywhere but the bottom of it was a cauldron where water was churning around rather violently.

Franklin swore, his voice rather thin. " Look, over at the other side. The bastard must have tried to swim across."

There were an opening right above the water level, he had probably thought that he could find a way out of the tunnels. Amy saw the kid on the other side, hanging onto a ledge with his arms, the body was shivering violently and she saw that the pool of water was red with blood. She whispered. " What is that?!"

Franklin looked almost indifferent, his face without expression. "I have a friend who explores caves for a living, they call it a meat grinder. The water is moving a lot of rocks underneath the surface, it will crush anything that enters the pool"

Amy now knew what that crunching sound was, boulders being tossed about. The lad was alive but his legs were crushed. She could see bones sticking out through the torn mangled meat and it was a horrible sight. She gasped and turned her face away. " He is alive damn it, what do we do?"

Franklin was strangely calm. " There is nothing we can do Amy, we cannot cross the pool without getting crushed and we have no ropes nor any hope of help coming fast."

He grasped the rifle and she heard a click, he had turned the safety switch off. " What are you doing?!"

Franklin sent her a stern glance, in the cold light from the flashlight his face looked so distant, almost unreal. " He is suffering Amy, and there is no rescue. If we cannot bring a man with us we do at least make sure he isn't suffering anymore. "

Amy closed her eyes, she moaned. " Oh God, this is madness, this is so…wrong."

Franklin took aim, the body was shivering in spasms, the boys jacket had probably snagged onto something since he was hanging on, he couldn't be conscious at all. " Is it? A swift death, isn't that what we all hope for in the end?"

Amy felt hot tears running down her cheeks. He was right, there was nothing they could do for this kid and just leaving him there to die slowly was just too awful. " Alright, alright, just…do it"

Franklin nodded and took aim, there was a hard bang from the gun and the body went limp and she saw that it slowly slid from the ledge and disappeared into the water. Franklin sighed and put the safety back on, his eyes were distant. " We'll have to get back to the others."

She nodded, felt a weird sensation of dreaming it all. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't. They were without food, with plenty of water yes but that wouldn't sustain them forever and who knew if there was a way out of there at all? She tried to fight the sensation of sheer panic that was threatening to overwhelm her, felt how her breath was speeding up and she felt nauseous. " Hey lady, don't break down on me now, we all need you. You are the leader remember? Breathe, just remember to breathe!"

Amy swallowed, felt weak, small. Franklin grasped her, pulled her close and she felt how the contact with the warm solid body somehow made everything seem more real, more like something she could handle. "What do we tell the others? "

Franklin's eyes were grim. "That he fell into the river and drowned. It is the best solution, they doesn't need to know about the meat grinder"

Amy took a deep breath. " Know what? For an assassin you are rather alright."

He grinned, a boyish smile that made him look very charming. "Thank you, and now, let's get back before Lucy starts to worry."

Amy nodded and started walking. There had to be a way out, they couldn't be trapped in there, she had to hope. But soon the flashlights would be out of batteries and what then? They couldn't move through complete darkness?

Franklin walked behind her when they suddenly felt something new, a gust of wind and it brought the same forest scent she had picked up earlier. Franklin stopped, turned his head. "There is a way out of here, smell that? It is nearby too, come on, let's gather the kids. We can get out!"

Amy suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline again, a sudden need to run, to get them all out right away. Before this glimpse of hope also turned out to be naught but an illusion. They ran back to the cave with the others as fast as they could and Lucy almost jumped when she saw them approaching. "Did you find him?"

Amy was almost panting. " Yes, but never mind him, he is dead by the way, drowned. We have found a way out of here, at least we think we have."

Lucy gasped and started shaking the kids, they woke up and looked scared and Amy tried to smile as confidently as possible. " Listen children, we have found a way out we think and the eruption seemed to have stopped too. "

The kids looked very relieved and the college kids were almost cheering. Amy got everybody into a line and put Lucy in the back to make sure nobody was lagging behind. She grinned and seemed eager and Franklin was leading the way with the Winchester ready. He followed the draft and the scent and they soon entered a very narrow tunnel which was leading downwards. Amy didn't quite understand how that was possible but what the hey, if there was a glimpse of hope why not grasp it.

They walked on for what seemed like hours, Mrs Southall was limping just as badly as before but she didn't complain and Jared was helping the girls and seemed to be a rather nice kid at the bottom.

Franklin slowed down. " There is light up ahead. Amy, come with me. We have to make sure it is alright."

Amy nodded and the two of them ran up a steep slope with a lot of rubble and gravel. There was an opening up ahead, it was rather wide and not very high and she could see clear blue sky through it. Franklin slowed down, sought cover and she did the same, they peered out between two rocks and Amy let out a gasp. This wasn't the park, this wasn't anywhere she had ever been before and she stared at Franklin who was a bit pale. They saw a valley ahead of them, narrow and almost gorge like, far away in the distance she was sure she could see something that reminded her of roofs but she wasn't sure. Forest covered the steep sides and it looked so darn beautiful she had problems understanding it was real.

Franklin took a deep breath. " I don't think we are where we ought to be Amy, I think we have ended up…somewhere else!"

Amy's voice was strangely calm and dry as she answered. " No shit!"


	4. A warriors death

Chapter four: A warrior's death

Amy stared out at the valley in front of them, it seemed peaceful enough but the idea of having ended up in some hidden dimension or something like that was disturbing to say the least. Franklin looked very nervous, he was licking his lips and she saw that his hand was shaking ever so slightly. Shit, he had to keep himself under control, if he lost it they were in deeper shit than ever before. Amy tried to smile, to look optimistic. " It doesn't look too bad now does it? Maybe we'll find people here who can help?"

Franklin sort of sighed and turned around. " I wouldn't bet on that, it gives me the creeps. Something is wrong here, I can sense it."

Amy rolled her eyes in tired despair. " Oh for goodness sake, can't you try to at least pretend to back me up, I need some positive feedback now, seriously!"

He nodded and nodded towards the distant buildings. " That is rather far away, we won't be able to reach it before it gets dark, I can see that the sun will set within half an hour. I suggest we stay here, the cave can be defended."

Amy groaned, spending a night out in the wilds with a bunch of kids and teenagers? Oh joy, it would be such a thrilling experience, like the time some dude she was dating managed to convince her to ride a roller coaster even though she knew she would get sick, and she did, and threw up all over herself. Franklin walked a little around, checked the entrance to the cave and smiled. " There is a nice thicket outside of the cave, and it is thorny bushes, nobody will be able to pass through it. If I take cover behind those rocks I can control the whole area in front of us. "

Amy sighed. " Whatever you say chief, just do your business alright?"

Lucy had climbed up to them, she held the sniper rifle. " I will keep watch with him, I'll take the Winchester, it is the sort of gun I have trained on using."

Amy just nodded and walked down to the group that was waiting there. " Listen up, we have to stay here for tonight, it will get dark soon so we can't risk walking through the woods. But we saw what we think are buildings off in the distance and hopefully there is somebody out there who can help us."

The little girl who had been so worried about the birds sobbed. " I miss my doll, and my bed."

One of the other kids keened. " I want to go home!"

Amy tried to stay calm. " Look, we all want to go home, and I am sure we all will. But for tonight I need you all to be brave ok? Think of it as a camping trip."

The scout smiled. " It will be fun kids, look, there are lots of strong branches scattered around here, we can build a small shelter. And use leaves as a roof, and I bet there are rabbits in the bushes and they can be cooked and eaten."

The girls cringed. " Eating rabbits? No way! I am a vegetarian!"

The blondest one of them looked as if he had suggested that she ate manure.

The scout smiled. " Suit yourself, but do not eat anything you can't identify, there could be poisonous plants here"

The girl scoffed and the scout removed the drawstring from one of the pack packs and before long he had made a sort of snare. Amy was impressed, she had though he was just another empty headed jock but she had been so wrong, and she was glad she was. Franklin helped him placing the trap within the bushes and Lucy used Franklins zippo to start a small fire at the back of the cave where it couldn't be seen from the outside.

The kids from the orphanage were soon eagerly gathering dry leaves and grass to make beds and they had forgotten their fear for now. Sometimes the innocence of a child was such a blessing. Amy stared off into the distance, the air was hazy and the details were hard to see but she found the beauty of the valley stunning. It was getting dark fast and Franklin and the scout returned with three rabbits. The boy skinned them and put them on a stake to fry them above the fire and the three college girls squirmed and looked less than thrilled. The bookworm and the nerd on the other hand didn't seem to mind at all.

Lucy nodded towards the valley. " So, what do you think?"

Amy had been admiring the very clear and beautiful stars. " Uh?"

The girl sat down, crossed her legs. " About the whole…situation? What do you think our chances are?"

Amy tried to sound confident. " Good, if we can find somebody friendly"

Lucy tilted her head. " Wouldn't bet on it Amy, we need to be careful."

Amy made a deep sigh. " As if I don't know that already."

Franklin sat down next to them, he held a piece of meat for each of them and Amy hadn't realized that she was hungry until then. But she was, terribly so. Her stomach was rumbling and she cringed, looking at Franklin with a cheesy grin. " It's alright girl, I am hungry too. But the kids ought to have the best meat."

Amy saw that the scout really was enjoying this, he was handing out meat to all the kids and luckily they all accepted it although a couple of them seemed shocked by the fact that they didn't say grace before they started eating. The three girls refused to eat and Amy sighed, tomorrow they would be more than just hungry, they would be ravenous and weakened but then again, the small pieces of meat wasn't nowhere near enough to satisfy a grown person. It only teased the stomach and made the hunger even more apparent.

Mrs Southall gave her meat to her daughters and Jared shared his piece with her. It was just a mouthful each but better than nothing. The bookworm was chatting away with the nerd about all the different diseases wild rabbits could carry but she did eat and so did he. Amy guessed that she just wanted to show off her knowledge.

Franklin sighed and spat out some sinews. " I have had worse."

Amy raised an eyebrow. " Really?"

Lucy giggled and he sent the two women a swift grin. " Yes, camel balls, raw"

Amy tried to swallow, suddenly her throat seemed to swell. " Yack!"

Lucy giggled. " Oh I have had rocky mountain oysters more than once, but of course they were fried."

Amy found the idea of eating testicles repulsive. " So those are desert oysters then?"

Franklin laughed. "The guy who served them to us had five wives and he swore that it was the only thing that kept him alive."

Amy had to grin, things felt a bit better now.

The scout was sort of tucking the kids in for the night, showing them how to dig themselves into the dry grass and he also showed them which leaves they could use to clean themselves when they had to go. Amy was eternally thankful for that, she always felt so darn embarrassed when she had to explain such things to others. He on the other hand seemed to have a natural talent for dealing with kids and Amy admired that.

One of the three college girls came forth, she was pouting. " Why can't we sleep outside of the cave? I am bloody sure there are spiders in here, and snakes!"

The last word made the girl shiver and she did look very uncomfortable indeed. Amy just smiled. " Out there you may find orcs, wargs and God alone knows what else so if you do wish to go into the darkness unarmed be my guest. The rifles stay here."

The girl almost hissed but returned to her friends and Amy saw that all of them were sulking, they were covered with dust and ash, their clothes torn and their perfect make up less than perfect. In fact they did look a bit pathetic but Amy didn't manage to muster up even an ounce of pity. There were more important things at stake than some messed up hair and smeared mascara.

The kids all went to sleep relatively fast, they were tired and Amy knew that they all were exhausted. Mrs Southall had lain down with her daughters and Jared sat by the fire and stared into the flames. His eyes were distant and he leaned his chin onto his knees and appeared to be far away. Amy hawked. " A penny for your thoughts"

He jerked and made a grimace. " They aren't worth that much lady, believe me."

Amy shifted and sat with her legs crossed in front of her. " Let me be the judge of that."

He sighed and a grimace of sheer helplessness slid across his features. " You know, I saw my own dad, MY OWN DAD, getting shot, right in front of me. And all I feel is relief! Does that make me a bad person?"

Amy swallowed, she hadn't anticipated something like that, something that serious. " Ah, well, I have come to understand that he was a bad person so, no, I don't think that means anything."

Jared sighed. " Jennifer has been so kind to me, even when I have gotten myself into trouble, and I have, a lot. She has never…she is nice."

Amy just sensed it, that there was so much penned up inside of that kid, things that were dark and ugly and she didn't really want to know but Jared turned his head and she saw that his eyes were shining with unshed tears and his chin trembled. " I felt relieved, can you believe that? I saw dad get shot in his fucking head and all I could think was that I didn't have to…that he wouldn't make me….not anymore!"

Amy felt a cold sensation creeping down her back. "What do you mean?"

Jared sent her a strange smile. " You know what I mean, he liked to stuff his cock into places where it shouldn't be. I am surprised he didn't try to fuck the girls, but Jennifer would have found out. So I was his target, his little plaything. I can still taste him, I am just fifteen damn it and I know what seed tastes like. I wish it was I who pulled the trigger."

Amy almost gasped. " Oh God, I am so sorry. Then I understand why you…didn't like your father"

Jared just nodded. " I wanted to hate that sniper but I couldn't, and he saved mom. I don't care about dad, he will rot in hell and good riddance. But what he did cannot be undone."

Amy tried to send him a confident smile. " Jared, when we get back home do go to a counselor? Please? You need to get that off your chest."

The boy just stared into the flames. " As if that will ever work."

Franklin came walking silently, he moved like a cat. " Amy, do get some sleep, Lucy will wake you up in a few hours, you can take her place then so she may sleep to."

Amy yawned. " What about you?"

He just smiled, a rather sad smile. " Oh I am used to this, fear not. I can stay awake for days if I need to."

Amy knew he probably were using some sort of drug to stay awake but alright, if it kept him alert and ready. She wasn't going to complain. She managed to get into a somewhat comfortable position in the sand and slowly she felt her eyelids becoming just too heavy and she dozed off in spite of her worries and fear.

She woke up abruptly with a feeling of having just snoozed for a couple of minutes, it was Lucy who was shaking her gently and she got up and yawned. The goth girl looked very tired and Amy knew she needed some rest. " How are things going?"

Lucy shrugged. " Smoothly, I guess. We haven't seen any hostiles yet and the forest seems calm."

Amy got up on her knees, stretched herself. " Ow, ai, I have slept on a rock!"

Lucy giggled and sat down. " Oh better to be bruised than to be dead."

Amy hissed. " True words, sleep well."

Lucy yawned and Amy cringed when she saw that the girl in fact had split her tongue and had gotten her teeth shaped into fangs. Amy had always wanted a nice tattoo but that type of body modifications were a bit too much for her. " I intend to, keep your eyes open"

Amy crawled up the steep path up to the opening and Franklin nodded to her. He sat next to a rock, with his rifle ready. " Anything?"

He shook his head. " No, just birds, the wind in the trees and I think I heard a horse neigh a while ago, but it could have been something else too"

Amy stared at the stars, they were incredibly clear and bright and she didn't recognize any of the constellations she saw. " Look, what is that?"

She pointed at a star that was brighter and larger than the others and it was moving rather fast. "Probably some small asteroid captured by this planets gravity. It is very bright though, makes me think of a satellite but that is probably impossible"

Franklin was calm and Amy stared at the strange star, it seemed almost comforting looking at the bright light. The darkness was rather deep and she wondered if Franklin would be able to spot a target at all if they were attacked. He had to have known what she was thinking about for he smiled and opened his small bag, showed her a couple of night googles. " They are handy, but these use active infrared light so they do glow red, I don't want to use them unless I have to."

Amy nodded and found a good place to sit, Franklin was fidgeting with his sleeve and he looked restless. " You don't look as if you are enjoying yourself very much"

Amy's voice was rather dry and Franklin cringed. " I am not, I…remember things you know, situations like this one"

Amy tilted her head. " Not exactly like this one I bet?"

He shrugged. " No, but close. I don't want to talk about it, it is…too sore."

Amy nodded, she didn't know what to say but somehow it just slipped from her. " Mr Southall was abusing his son"

Franklin looked tired, as if he had expected it. " Doesn't surprise me, that son of a bitch was sick to the core, I have never killed anyone more deserving of a bullet."

Amy swallowed hard. " Jared told me, he is rather broken I think."

Franklin pulled his knees up, stared into the darkness. " Yeah, I bet. I could sense it in him, he wants to hate me but he can't. He'll suffer for as long as he lives, believe me, I know."

Amy frowned. " Did someone?"

Franklin shook his head. " No, but a kid in my class was being abused by the whole family I think, or at least the males. He shot himself with his father's shotgun, and nobody spoke of it afterwards."

She clenched her teeth together. "That is rather typical now isn't it?"

Franklin nodded. " We don't like to talk about uncomfortable things, heck, if I told about all the things I have seen while in duty they would lock me away forever."

Amy heard the sore and yet hard tone of his voice and cringed. " Torture?"

He sent her a swift grin, it was the sneer of a trapped animal. " Oh yes, bad torture"

He leaned back towards the rocks. " Sometimes being the good guys just mean that you fight for the right side, not that you fight fair or in a more humane way than your opponent. It all depends upon the eye of the beholder."

Amy sighed, it was a universal truth. She stared out into the darkness again, unable to find the words to say.

They sat like that in silence for what had to be hours, the skies were telling them of a sunrise which got closer by the minute and it was lovely. Amy was half asleep and Franklin was tired too, she could see it but he was able to stay awake for now. The cave was silent and Amy didn't pay any attention to it. She was preparing to get up and start waking everybody when she heard a shout from the back of the cave, it sounded as if someone was shocked and pissed off.

She got up and spun around, it was the scout and he stared at the place where the three girls had lain. The spot was empty and Amy groaned. "Shit, don't tell me they are gone? They cannot have gotten out of the cave?"

The scout was rubbing his eyes. " I think there is a tunnel heading out from one of the chambers we passed through on our way to this cave. They could have noticed it and tried to get out that way?"

Franklin swore and Lucy got up, her eyes wild. " Lucy, keep watch, use the Winchester."

Amy tossed the rifle to her and Lucy ran up to the cave opening, Franklin was swearing so bad it was a miracle he didn't spontaneously combust. "Damn it, we cannot afford to be slowed down by those darn Barbie dolls."

Amy nodded to the scout. " Get the kids up, prepare them to march when we return."

The boy nodded and Amy and Franklin ran. She just prayed that they wouldn't find something equal to the boy who had run off with their food. The girls had indeed followed that side tunnel and after about twenty minutes it ended at the base of a tall cliff. Outside was lush forest and Amy enjoyed the smell but she was pissed off. Those three were endangering them all this way and she wasn't going to let them forget about that.

Franklin growled. " They ought to have their behinds whipped, running off like that is so irresponsible."

Amy sighed. "They are unused to facing any challenges, and they have never really had to follow orders. Believe me, I know the type. The parents allow them to do exactly as they please and that is more harmful than being overly strict."

Franklin jumped over a fallen log, his rifle in his hand. " Amen to that. My dad was strict but at least I learned some discipline."

Amy saw footprints in the grass, they had probably nicked one of the flashlights for it had to have been completely dark there. She cursed their stupidity and stubbornness and walked on. The trees were huge and beautiful and the forest was so alive in a strange way, she felt as if the trees were watching her all the time. It was perhaps a bit creepy but she sort of liked the sensation. Franklin stopped, he tilted his head. " Footsteps, coming this way"

Amy braced herself but it was the three girls, and they looked rather sheepish when they discovered that they were discovered. Amy almost growled at them but Franklin sent the girls a glare that could have frozen the pacific ocean solid. " You three are in so much trouble, what if you had met some of those monsters?"

The girl who had lost her boyfriend pouted. " We were hungry, and there is plenty of berries here."

Amy rolled her eyes. " Are you nuts? Are you sure they are edible?"

The girl nodded. " Positive! They are ordinary blue berries and black berries too and some nice small red ones I know from home."

Franklin sighed. " Well, we'll talk about this later, for now, hurry. We need to get going. We have to make full use of the daylight."

The girls followed them but Amy felt a strange sort of tension, like the feeling she sometimes got just before a thunderstorm. Something was off, she just knew it. The kids were ready to leave when they returned to the cave, the scout had them lined up and they looked more excited than nervous and Amy smiled to them. " Alright kids, we are to walk quite a bit today but please try to stay quiet and if you need to stop to pee or anything please let me know. We cannot let anyone fall behind now."

They all nodded and the two pretty boys smiled, they seemed almost elated for some reason. Lucy sent Franklin a curt nod. " We'll use the side tunnel, the bushes here are too dense to cross for the kids, they'll end up being torn up rather bad on the thorns."

Franklin nodded. " Good idea, it was rather easy to enter the forest there, without being seen even."

Mrs Southall was standing but she looked very tired and she was limping just as bad as before. The three daughters were helping her but Amy noticed that Jared seemed very absent minded now. He looked very beaten and she knew that some people were strong as long as there is a threat. The moment it is gone they seem to collapse, their purpose is somewhat gone and she feared that he now really truly allowed the full brunt of the horrors he had experienced to hit home.

The sun was up by now and the valley was probably a rather hot place when it reached zenith. Amy could hear a river in the distance so they wouldn't have to go thirsty and if the girls were right there were berries there they could eat. They walked fast and the kids were obedient and stayed quiet. Lucy walked in front since she was able to walk without making much noise and Franklin was at the back with the scout. Amy stayed in the middle of the group and she felt naked without a gun. The three girls were constantly snapping berries from the bushes they passed by and the kids did the same thing. It was huge raspberries and they were unbelievably sweet and tasty and Amy too ate some.

The scout was chatting quietly with Franklin about the different ways you can trap small animals when one of the girls bent down and picked up some berries and ate them, the boy immediately froze. " You cannot eat those!"

The girl looked confused. " Of course I can eat them, they are delicious. We have a lot of them back home, we eat such berries all the time"

The boy rushed forth, he stared at the small bush she had taken the berries from and he was a bit pale. "No you don't. These looks like ordinary berries, I know the type you are talking about but take a look at the leaves. See? They are almost round without grooves along the edges."

The girl frowned. " So what? We are not eating the leaves damn it"

The scout scoffed. " The berries you can eat have grooved leaves, these are a different species and they are poisonous"

Amy gasped. " Are you sure?"

The boy nodded solemnly. " Yes, my teachers told us a lot about poisonous plants. These berries are dangerous, they look so much like the edible type it is easy to be confused and they are rare so people rarely encounter them."

Amy felt cold to the core. " How poisonous are they?"

The scout bit his lower lip, he looked a bit shocked. " Very, people have died from eating them. They can be boiled and then they are okay to eat but who boils berries?"

The three college girls looked pale and Amy stared at them. " Did you all eat such berries?"

All three of them nodded and Amy groaned. " Right, you need to throw up, now!"

They turned green, one of them cringed. " Do we need to?"

Amy sent them a deathly glare, stupid ignorant girls. " Yes, I bet you know how to make yourself retch"

The bookworm was giggling and Amy turned around on her heel. " And you young lady shut your mouth, this is serious"

The girl looked shocked and stopped giggling and Amy felt how her skin tingled all over out of sheer anger and frustration.

Lucy held up a small stick. " Here, use this."

The tallest of the three stared at the stick with an expression of utter disgust on her pretty face. "No way, it could have bugs on it"

Lucy grinned viciously. " None as nasty as the ones you already have digested by eating those berries unwashed. Come on, see it as a part of a diet."

The girl grasped the stick with a hiss and they went behind a bush and before long they heard the sound of someone retching and throwing up. Amy turned to the kids. " Did any of you eat any of those small red berries?"

Two of the kids from the orphanage nodded and one of Mrs Southalls daughters. Amy sighed. " Right, you all must try to throw up, now"

Mrs Southall grasped her daughter and carried her off behind a bush and the two kids from the orphanage were helped by the scout. Amy just hoped that it wouldn't be too late. After twenty minutes they all had emptied their bellies and Amy told the scout to carry one of the kids and Jared carried his sister. Amy took care of the last of the orphanage kids and carried the boy on her back. This was slowing them down, damn it.

They were heading down a rather steep slope when one of the college girls suddenly moaned and stopped dead in her tracks, then she grasped her stomach and fell to her knees with a shrill cry. Amy did almost panic, that sound had to have been audible for everything within a mile's radius. Franklin rushed forth and grasped the girl, she was foaming at the mouth and her eyes were huge and dark. " Fuck! She is poisoned, it was too late."

The scout was almost running on the spot, he looked very worried. " What are we to do?"

Franklin bit his lower lip, stared at the area around them. " Over there, a cliff. We cannot carry sick people with us, I think some of us will have to go looking for help while the rest of us wait here."

The kids stared at them, the girl who had been so worried about the birds started shaking, her chin trembled and tears formed in her eyes. " Don't leave us, you cannot leave us"

Franklin smiled. " I won't. I promise. I will stay and watch over you all. Is that alright little one?"

The girl tried to smile. " Yes"

Amy ran towards the cliff, it was steep and the sides almost vertical but in one place it was possible to climb onto it. The top was rather flat but it had an indentation in the middle and some bushes and a tree grew there. " It is alright, they can stay here."

Franklin and the scout helped the kids up, it was difficult for them to climb up but they all made it. When everybody, even Mrs Southall had gotten up Franklin turned to Amy. " You and Lucy must run for help, you are both fit and both can fire a rifle. Follow the river, I think those buildings are close to it."

Amy swallowed. " Are you sure about this?"

Franklin nodded. " Yes, I will protect them. If I seek shelter in one of those huge trees I can get whatever is trying to climb the cliff. But that means that I will need to keep the Winchester. There are still ammunition left for that."

Lucy sighed. " Alright, but then we leave the sniper rifle too, it is too heavy to be running with."

The scout wet his lips. " I do know how to shoot."

Franklin sighed. " Of course you do, alright. You can take position on top of the cliff, shooting everything that approach the tree I am in, that way we cover each other, okay?"

The scout looked proud. "Okay!"

Lucy stared at the sick girl, the other two were getting pale and suddenly the next one collapsed and started convulsing. The two orphanage kids were throwing up violently with empty bellies and Mrs Southall's daughter was covered in cold sweat and shivering. Darn this was bad, so very bad.

"They don't have much time left if they are to be saved, we have to run now!"

The two pretty twins came forth, they looked determined. " We have to go with you"

Amy shook her head. " No you don't. You stay here with the others"

The two stared at her, the blue eyes almost luminescent. " We have to go Amy, we know this world, if there are some of our people here we can talk to them, you cannot."

Lucy made a grimace. " They have a point, sort of."

Amy rolled her eyes. " Alright, fine. But I hope you know how to run boys"

They smiled. " Like the wind"

Franklin climbed one of the trees, found shelter between some branches and the scout found his position too. The sick were laying there moaning and trembling and Amy felt her heart freeze within her chest thinking of what fate awaited them if they failed to bring help. Lucy nodded. " Let's go, no time to waste"

Amy sent the kids a last comforting smile before she climbed down and followed Lucy, the boys did know how to run and they ran without even making any noise. It was creepy but then again, the whole situation was downright bizarre so why not?

The terrain was rather easy to run through and they made good speed. Lucy was fast and Amy pushed herself, she hadn't had much to eat for more than a day, she was probably dehydrated and felt as if her muscles had been replaced by jelly but except from that she was fine. She had never been a sprinter but it didn't matter now, she had to run even if her legs were aching.

They found the river and were following it when they heard it, the loud crack of a gunshot, Amy went pale and she immediately wanted to return but Lucy grasped her, rather hard. " No, we have to get help remember? Franklin will keep them safe"

Amy felt cold all the way through, one shot was followed by others and she felt as though she had deserted them all, abandoned them. She tried to breathe. " Yes, but…"

The boys were not even sweating, they tilted their heads, listened to something the two women didn't hear. " Orcs, and wargs. We have to go, some may discover our tracks"

That did it, Amy found the strength to move again, she ran until she felt the taste of blood in her mouth and the boys were right at her heels.

Back at the cliff things had turned nasty rather fast. Just ten minutes after the women left they all heard a snarling sound coming from afar and the kids whimpered and Mrs Southall gathered them in the middle of the cliff where the tree and the bushes protected them to some degree. Franklin swore and got the Winchester ready, he knew what was coming. The scout trembled but he did hold the rifle steady and Franklin shouted to him. " Aim for chest or head, try to kill with every shot. Shoot the riders, not those overgrown poodles, they cannot climb but the orc's can"

The scout nodded and Franklin checked the gun, it was ready and he was ready, this would be the most important fight of his life. The sick girls and children were being held by the others, just to keep them quiet and there was an eerie silence before they heard a hoarse roar and a nasty looking figure rushed out of the woods mounting what had to be the ugliest warg ever. It looked as if it had both mange and some skin disease and it was blind in one eye and lacked both its ears and the few tufts of hair it had left were colorless and dull. If the thing hadn't been so obviously vicious Franklin would have pitied the animal but as things were that was impossible.

The rider on the other hand was way worse, the orc wore armor of some sort and it looked as if somebody had gone berserk in a metal workshop and welded together every loose piece of scrap metal there was to find. It didn't look good, it didn't look comfortable and it was terrifying too. The rider was soon followed by several more and some of them carried what had to be scalps with long silky hair from their belts. Franklin held his breath, were they aware of the people on the cliff?

They were, the leader pointed and grinned and shouted something in a very guttural sounding language and the others cheered and pushed their ugly steeds forth. They all wore armor and some were marked with paint, it looked like an eye and some wore a hand too, in white. Franklin watched them almost indifferently, to him they were only targets from now on, he was going into combat mode. Hopefully these creatures would be unable to see where the shots came from until it was too late, they couldn't be used to firearms. He saw that several carried crude looking bows and swords and they were apparently no less bloodthirsty than the ones they had encountered the day before.

He aimed for the leader, sometimes it was a good trick to use since the discipline of an enemy can be broken by the loss of his officers. Being a sniper he knew where to aim to get an instant kill, the armor was too thick so he avoided that, he didn't want to waste a single bullet. He let the shot go, the orc leader jerked and fell to the ground with a huge hole through his temple and Franklin saw that the other orcs stared at their fallen leader with huge eyes. The bang from the rifle seemed to confuse them and Franklin grinned, a very determined grin.

The orcs turned their wargs around, tried to see the enemy but Franklin was hiding well and they roared and some dismounted, started moving towards the cliff once more. Franklin was getting nervous, they didn't have that many rounds left, and there were more orcs than bullets. He could count at least forty. The sniper rifle roared, the distance was short and two orcs fell from their wargs, the scout had managed to hit both with the same shot. Excellent.

The other orcs gathered around the corpses, one even put his finger into the wound and then he howled, it sounded like rage more than grief. Franklin knew that these creatures were unafraid, they didn't fear death and wouldn't stop before the last one was dead. Shit, they were in trouble.

On the cliff the children were whimpering in fear and Mrs Southall was trying to keep her daughter quiet. She was crying and Jared sat behind them, eyes wide and wild. He stared at his step mother and her girls and a sort of peace fell over him. He had to do something to save them, he did no longer care about his own life, his father had already ruined that. But he could at least go out in a blaze of glory and so he slowly crawled away from them and nobody noticed until he disappeared down the backside of the cliff where an agile person could climb down without ropes. Jennifer saw him disappear and screamed but it was too late, Jared jumped down and then he ran. He heard the roar from the river and knew that there had to be a waterfall close by, he had an idea.

The orcs immediately saw the running boy and half of the pack broke off in hot pursuit. Franklin swore but knew what the boy was trying to do, so brave and so foolish. He couldn't outrun those wargs or could he? The remaining orcs attacked the cliff once more and Franklin fired again, another orc fell with a shrill shriek and he felt sweat running down his back. This was bad, really really bad. Please hurry girls. His voice was shivering as he aimed once more.

Jared ran faster than ever before, he had been a fast kid and before it all started happening his father had bragged about him and wanted him to become an athlete. But when he got his growth he turned out to be too stocky to be a runner and not tall enough for football and his father had been so disappointed. But he still had the technique and the determination, he used the terrain and tried to ignore the barking sounds of wargs chasing him and the occasional black arrow that whistled by. He had to lure them away from the others long enough for Amy and Lucy to bring help.

There was a gorge ahead, not wide but very deep, like a black thundering wound in the earth and he forced his fears aside and added more speed for a final burst. The orcs were not far behind him and they were howling in eager anticipation so he didn't look back. He just ran, and then he jumped.

The river was roaring deep down beneath him as he flew across the narrow gap and he landed on the other side with a thud that knocked the air out of him. Two orcs tried to jump the gorge on their wargs but didn't make it, they fell to their deaths screaming. He got back up onto his feet, grinning. He had made it. Now he had to keep them there and so he ran in behind a tree and started shouting insults. The orcs growled and hissed and shook their weapons but Jared felt safe there. The tree was sheltering him and he even tossed a few rocks back across the ravine.

He was in the midst of a very colorful description of what somebody ought to do with the orcs when he heard a strange thud and felt a sort of an impact. He stared down, blinked in disbelief. An arrow protruded from his chest just beneath his armpit, what was this?

He had forgotten to keep his eyes open, had forgotten to watch his flanks. An orc had managed to get over the river somewhere else and now it was standing there, leering with another arrow ready. Jared didn't feel any pain, that was strange, just a numb sort of shock, like he didn't really believe this. His vision was getting blurred and he fell to his knees, the orc was laughing and aiming for him but then it suddenly froze with a long arrow sticking out of its head. Jared heard someone shouting in a very musical sounding language and somebody grasped him gently, then the world went black and faded away and his last thought was that he at least had managed to kill those two orcs who fell. Then it was all over.

Amy and Lucy ran and suddenly their heard something, horses neighing, clashing of metal against metal, shouts, shrieks and thunder of hooved. Lucy gasped, " A battle, there is a battle up ahead"

Amy nodded. " Yes, but maybe somebody can help us, let's go"

The twins looked excited, they listened and now they spoke to each other in a language Amy never had heard before, it was lovely to listen to but completely alien to her. They all ran towards the sounds and before long they rushed onto a small plain, Amy just stared, indeed some were fighting, and fighting hard. A huge group of orcs were attacking another group of armored knights riding the most gorgeous horses she had ever seen. And the knights were using swords and bows with a finesse and technique that was amazing and inhuman at the same time. Nobody can move that fast! Amy's thoughts were almost blurred, slow and reluctant due to the shock. The knights were making mincemeat of the orcs, slicing and stabbing and shooting with deadly precision and before long the sounds died down, the two girls just stood at the edge of the forest, staring with huge eyes.

Then Amy noticed that the knights all wore some sort of uniform and the armor was clearly inspired by the shape of leaves and bushes, and they had been riding like they and their horses were one being. When some got nearer she got the shock of a lifetime, they had pointy ears! Lucy gasped and Amy just stared, elves? How the heck?

The twins suddenly ran forth, shouting something very loud and the elves turned their horses, staring at them with obvious shock. Amy turned her head, she had caught the glimpse of motion out if the corner of her eye and she gasped when she saw that one of the orcs weren't dead yet but just wounded. He was raising his arm holding a nasty looking dagger, aiming for the nearest of the twins and Amy reacted out of sheer instinct. She ran forth, threw herself through the air and she felt a terrible piercing pain in her lower back before she hit the ground with a groan. One of the elves had already planted an arrow in the orc's skull and she grinned and felt a bit weird. At least she had done something to protect the young ones.

She heard shouts, felt someone grasping her with very warm hands, somebody said something that sounded as if that person was very worried and she managed to open her eyes again even if she suddenly felt terribly tired. She was seeing double. A dude with long black hair and a ridiculously handsome face was staring at her and there was two of him? She felt silly, almost tipsy, raised a hand and touched a lock of silky black hair. " Man, I really need the name of your…hair….dresser…" Then everything went black.


	5. Where the f is the toilet?

Chapter five: Where the f### is the toilet?!

Franklin was desperate, many of the orcs had followed that brave but oh so stupid boy and he had managed to shoot some too but there were still too many of them, and they had started firing at the cliff with their bows. The arrows shot up in the air and rained down again and he just hoped that the ones on the cliff had enough common sense to seek cover. The sad truth was that there wasn't that much cover to speak of, the tree provided some shelter but only for a few feet away from its stem.

The scout had proven to be a very good shot, he killed with every bullet but soon, too soon, he lifted the rifle to signal that he was out. Franklin swore, this was the end, he was sure of it. The girls wouldn't have time to get help before they all were dead, and he suspected that these monsters were rather cruel too when it came to ending their opponents. He checked his ammo, shite, only ten rounds left. He had to choose his targets carefully. There were screams coming from the top of the cliff but he didn't know if they came from somebody who had been shot or if it came from one of those who had eaten poisonous berries. The orcs had started to understand that the shots had to come from one place and he pressed himself against the tree and tried to remain invisible.

These creatures obviously knew how to hunt for it didn't take long before one made a guttural roar and pointed towards him, immediately a rain of arrows seemed to fly against him and he had to duck for cover behind the trunk of the tree. Shit, he was a sitting duck if they started shooting from down below, he was easily visible from the ground and he just knew that this could be it. He had always believed that he would go down fighting and it seemed that he would be right about that. He hoped that Amy and Lucy got away, they were nice girls and he had liked Amy a lot. She was obviously very dedicated to her job and had lots of guts and also a sense of responsibility few could brag about these days. It would be too bad if they too were to perish.

He clung onto the tree like a barnacle, tried to climb a bit higher but then he would be an easy target and he swore and got the rifle in position again, fired at some orcs trying to climb the cliff. If he only had had a bazooka, or something like that, perhaps a machinegun would have done the trick. He heard the boy scout scream, didn't see if he had been hit by an arrow of if one of the goddamn orcs had managed to climb onto the cliff, he just had to fire again, four rounds left. Normally in a situation like that he would have saved the last bullet for himself but that would be selfish, no easy way out if these kids were to be tortured or worse by those monsters. Some orcs came scurrying towards the tree and Franklin swore and fired his last rounds at them, four went down and he threw the rifle. It was useless now, just a piece of wood. He did not have a reserve gun, only his army knife and he sneered and prepared for his last fight, He had always been good at fighting with blades and knew he could take at least some of them with him. He had no illusions when it came to his chances of survival, he was screwed big time but at least he would die protecting those kids and Mrs Southall.

He jumped down, so fast the orcs hesitated for a second and that gave him a small advantage. He thrust the blade upwards below a very ugly hairy orc's sternum and knew he had hit the heart if these creatures had that organ at all. He then grasped the orcs sword, it was crude and nasty and far from well balanced but it was sharp and he dodged a blow from another orc before he quickly beheaded yet another one. He was deaf to the world by now, the only thing on his mind the fighting, and the need to kill.

He didn't even flinch when an arrow suddenly embedded itself in his right arm, it made it almost impossible to use the arm but he just switched to his left and continued fighting. He had been trained to use both hands and snarled as he kept slicing and cutting. The orcs didn't really have a technique, they just hacked away at their opponent and their lack of strategy was also rather apparent. Franklin soon got his fair share of cuts and bruises but he didn't receive any really bad wounds and he soon realized why, The orcs had sort of abandoned the cliff, they were gathering around him and he knew that they were curious as to for how long he could last. His vision was getting blurry and his knees weak, he was losing blood and he knew that well but for as long as he was still standing the children were relatively safe.

The arm felt like a ton of lead by now, the arrow was most likely poisoned and he knew he was pretty much done for. But they could call him a goddamn dog before he went down without fighting to the very end. He thrust the blade into some rather short orc's neck and sliced across the chest of another as he swirled around. The orcs were leering, and grinning, enjoying his desperation, they had no loyalty towards their own and didn't care how many he managed to kill. It seemed as if they were feeding of the fear he felt.

He felt his legs beginning to buckle and grasped his knife again, he would stab himself in the chest before he allowed these monsters to lay hands upon him. He was ready to do it when things suddenly changed within a heartbeat. A horn could be heard, and it sounded amazing. Orcs started dropping with arrows sticking out of their chests and heads and a huge pack of riders rushed forth among the trees, clad in armor and carrying swords and bows. Franklin fell to his knees, he was light headed and felt nauseous and the riders disposed of the orcs rather fast in spite of the monsters trying to escape. Before long the last orc was dead and the riders held their horses and stared at the scene ahead of them. Franklin managed to stay upright until then, but slowly he keeled over and the last thing he saw was a pair of brown leather boots with spurs on them right in front of him.

Amy was sure she had died, after all, she did hear harps and angels singing and she was kind of surprised for she had been rather sure that she had been heading in the other direction. She hadn't exactly been a devoted Christian and the last time she visited a church she was hung over and managed to puke into the holy water container. Her head hurt like it had been run over by a steam roller and there was an aching pain in her gut that really was a bit annoying. Were you supposed to feel pain when you were dead? If you were then screw the afterlife, she didn't like this even a bit. She tried to open her eyes but they seemed to be transformed to lead and the sheer effort of trying to push her eyelids apart made everything swirl around. Oh shit, she was going to puke!

A hand came out of nowhere and a very melodic and soft voice said something she didn't understand at all, it was just gibberish but beautiful nonetheless. Could it be Irish? Welsh? She had never paid any attention to other languages and couldn't tell, she groaned and felt that she was tipped over very gently and she felt something cold and cool against her cheek and chin. It had to be some sort of metal container, was she in a hospital? But the music she heard came from rather close by and it wasn't some recording, it was too lovely for that.

The hand stroked her head very gently and she felt safe, why she didn't know but she just knew that nothing would harm her while she was there. She tried to give herself a check over, her arms were there, her legs were definitely there too and so was her head. It was the middle section that was causing her problems. She remembered it, the knife that monster had thrown at the two lads. She had been stabbed damn it, no wonder she felt like shit. The voice came again, it was soothing and calm but it did also harbor some concern and Amy managed to open her eyes with an almost monumental effort. What she saw immediately made her think she was dead again, a lovely roof painted to look like the canopy of a lush forest, a room made just from one wall and some pillars and outside she saw a wide and beautiful valley with gorgeous buildings and a heck of a lot of waterfalls and gardens. What the hey?

She turned her head, next to her stood a very tall woman with long blond hair and a man who looked very serious but also gentle. Both were too beautiful to be true and Amy squeaked and blinked. " Are…Are you angels?"

The two stared at each other and the man said something she didn't understand, she just shook her head and he sighed. He was dark of hair and eyes and his face looked a bit ragged, as if he had seen a lot in his life and suffered too. The woman on the other hand looked so very young and yet she was almost loaded with power, Amy could feel it. Suddenly she heard running feet, and the two boys came rushing in followed by Lucy. She didn't look quite as she had, the heavy dark makeup was gone and she was wearing a very lovely light green dress that really hugged her curves, Amy had to stare. " Lucy?!"

The girl nodded, her eyes shining. " Yes, it is me Amy, not some ghost. You will not believe what has happened, and where we are!"

The tall man said something to the boys and they laughed and jumped onto the bed, Amy groaned, her back and stomach hurt like hell. She stared at the man again, he was wearing some ridiculous and yet very beautiful clothes and he had long hair with some tiny braids in it right in front of his ears…which by the way were pointy! Riiight! Either she was dying and this was one fat hallucination created by her dying brain or she was really in some other world. "The others, the children!"

For a moment she felt a surge of panic rush through her and the boys smiled and Lucy sat down too, far more carefully. " They are all here, although we lost some."

Amy gasped and some tears pushed forth. " Who?"

Lucy stared down at the duvet, it was by the way the softest and most comfortable Amy had ever come across. " One of Mrs Southall's daughters, the one who was poisoned. Only one of the three girls from my class made it and we also lost the boy scout and two of the orphanage kids, arrows"

Amy groaned and tears swelled up in her eyes. " Damn, damn damn, not the kids!"

She blinked. " Franklin?"

Lucy cocked her head. " Alive for now, they are doing what they can for him, he got a poisoned arrow through his arm and got a lot of wounds. But he is tough, he'll make it. "

Amy felt her head spinning again. " What happened?"

Lucy petted her hand. " Orcs came just after we left, they managed to hold them off until some of the guards from this place heard the racket and came to the rescue. Ah, we lost Jared too I am afraid."

Amy closed her eyes, tears streamed down her face. " How?"

Lucy swallowed. " He ran off and managed to get some of the orcs to follow him, he wanted to use the river and he did manage to lure two orcs to their deaths. But they got him, I am very sorry."

Amy sniffed and the dark haired man gave her a handkerchief that had to be made from silk. It smelled vaguely of lavender and she wouldn't have used it unless she had to, and she did. When her nose was unclogged she sent him a sheepish yet grateful grin and the man nodded gracefully. " So, where in all the world are we?"

The twins grinned simultaneously and she had to blink yet again, they wore similar clothing and she wasn't sure she wasn't seeing double yet again. " You are in middle earth, this is Imladris otherwise known as Rivendell and it is the realm of lord Elrond Eärendilion who by the way is a relative."

Amy gaped. " What?!"

They nodded and grinned again, even wider this time. " Yes, he is our sisters son. We were taken from here before he was even born."

Amy didn't really know what to think. " So this Elrond guy is rather important?"

Lucy giggled. " He is, it is by the way the man standing next to the bed, He is the best healer in this world, heck, more of us would be dead if it wasn't for him."

Amy flinched and stared at the dark haired man who smiled gently again and she felt like an idiot. " Uh hello"

That was the most intelligent thing she could say for now and Lucy giggled. " The boys real names are Elured and Elurin, and they are peredhil, half elven. Their dad was fifty fifty elf and human."

Amy felt her head ache and the tall elf, Elrond, laid a hand on her forehead and said something again, it was like hearing music but she didn't understand a single syllable. Elured smiled. " He said you will be alright, but that knife was poisoned and the wound a nasty one. Thank you by the way, you saved my life"

Amy managed to press forth a smile and Lucy tilted her head. " You wouldn't believe how many wonderful things I have seen, this place is like…sheer magic"

Amy had to giggle. " I bet that makes the nerdy kid rather upset, and the bookworm too."

Lucy nodded. " James, that is his name by the way, almost lost his marbles. And Eva went nuts for a while, she is trying to make drawings of everything here, I say good luck with that. There is just too much."

The tall blond woman had been silent until then but there was something almost watchful within her gaze that made Amy uneasy. She said something to Elrond and he turned around and left, the woman sat down on the bed very gently and one of the twins giggled. " Don't be afraid. Galadriel isn't going to hurt you, but she wants to know what really happened back there. She wants to take a look at your memories."

Amy frowned. " What? Can she do that? Who is she?"

One of the boys, oh crap how was she to separate between them, bounced slightly on the bed. " She is the most powerful elf in all of Arda right now, and she is Elrond's mother in law too."

No wonder he obeyed so quickly then, she appeared to be a lady with a strong will and not a person you would cross swords with so to speak. " Will it hurt?"

Amy's voice was rather shaky and Galadriel smiled and shook her head. Darn, she did really read minds. " Alright then, I guess it is needed?"

Lucy smiled and squeezed Amy's hand. " It is, she has taken a peek into the memories of all of us. You are the last one."

Amy swallowed. " Oh, Mrs Southall, how is she?"

Lucy sighed. " Heartbroken, her daughter died as I told you and Jared too, and she blames herself. But physically she is recovering but I warn you, she has an ugly story behind her, that son of a bitch that was her husband was really a beast"

Amy sighed. "No surprise there, I thought so."

Galadriel smiled a very comforting smile and Amy saw that Elrond returned carrying a cup with some liquid in it. Lucy nodded. " Don't worry, it is called Miruvor and it is awesome!"

Amy took the cup but not without suspicions. " What will it do?"

She still had huge problems believing this, she was in some other world damn it, with pointy eared people and magic and stuff. Lucy smiled and she looked rather pretty in fact, not that she had been ugly before but now she seemed fresh somehow, happy. " It will only make you relax and take away the pain you feel."

Amy took a deep breath, then she lifted the cup, "Cheers"

She was immediately very positively surprised and stared at the cup. It had a marvelous taste and it felt as if it removed anything even resembling discomfort. "Damn, they would be filthy rich if they introduced this to our place."

Lucy nodded vigorously. " Oh yes, no doubt about that yeah"

Galadriel said something and her voice was very soft and yet it had some hardness to it, this was a woman used to giving orders and having them obeyed and yet there was gentleness in her. Lucy got off the bed. " Worry not, she won't take a sneak peek at anything private."

Amy felt slightly nervous but the pain had gone as if it had never been there and her head felt as if it actually was attached to her neck at the proper angle again, and it wasn't jiggling all around either. " Okay then, do it."

Galadriel smiled and put her hand on Amy's hand, it was warm and almost loving and Amy closed her eyes, why she didn't know but it just felt very appropriate." Here goes."

It felt odd, weird, as if she suddenly was seeing a sort of documentary of her own life passing before her eyes but in an insane speed. The last days flew by in a haze and Amy gasped when she opened her eyes again. She felt strangely alien in her own skin for a moment and Galadriel looked puzzled. She spoke to the two boys and they nodded and looked serious. "She says there is something odd about you, something not normal. Your soul is different, very strange."

Amy almost choked. " Oh yeah? Well, I am a rather ordinary person, in every way."

Galadriel shook her head slowly and the boys listened to her again. "Have anything odd every happened to you, something out of the ordinary? "

Amy frowned, what the heck? " No, I have lived a very average life until now, or…"

There was a memory, suddenly seeping back into her consciousness. She had been six years old and she had visited her grandfather's farm. The farm was surrounded by vast fields of corn and wheat and the area was as flat as a pancake but there was this one small hill there and on top of it was a tiny lake. It wouldn't dry out even in the worst summer heat and she and some other kids had gone there to bathe and something had happened and she had been under water for at least twenty minutes before anybody got aware of it. But when the doctor arrived she had awakened by her own, not remembering anything except from complaints about a scary man in grey clothes and a sort of crown. The twins translated eagerly and Galadriel sighed and put her hands in her lap. She said something that sounded very solemn and Elrond looked worried.

Amy was getting both eager and a bit worried. " What?"

Lucy too looked alarmed and Elrond got up, left in a hurry. The boys were a bit pale. " She says that the volcano that erupted back where we come from did create the power to open the rift between earth and middle earth, but the catalyst was you Amy"

Amy shook her head. " No, absolutely not, I have no such powers, heck, I do not even believe in magic. Why would I do something that stupid?!"

Galadriel sent her a small smile, it was somewhat bittersweet. " Because you don't know what you are capable of. It was destiny, the twins were supposed to go back home and the valar used you as their tool but something has gone wrong."

Elured translated and Amy still shook her head. " I refuse to believe this, it is insane. I cannot believe it"

Galadriel looked like a teacher who is trying to discipline a disobedient child. " You died Amy, you were dead but you were brought back and something came with you, attached to your soul. This something has done damage that could prove to be very dangerous to both our worlds."

Amy felt sick. " No, that is bullshit, I won't listen"

The tall blonde sent Amy a very sad look, Amy could see eons of time in that gaze, and wisdom too far reaching to understand for a human mind. " You have to, it is the truth. There are gaps out there, voids between the worlds. They harbor terrible things and a tiny piece of such a being came back with you. The valar felt the power within you but didn't know from whence it came, it was a mistake. "

Amy growled, she felt frustrated. " Who are these valar you keep talking about?"

The boys hurried to translate and Galadriel sighed. " Deities is what you might call them, the children of Eru, of God. For some reason they wanted these two young elves to return to their real world now, maybe they sensed something was off, perhaps it was all part of a plan."

Amy swallowed hard and felt small, this went way above her head. " So what is the problem really? What has this…thing done?"

Galadriel got up, heck she was tall, way over six feet and Amy felt like a midget next to her, an ugly midget too. " The opening between the worlds didn't close up, it is still out there somewhere and we fear what else may come through. There are things in the void that is there for a reason, if..he…returns it will bring forth the end of the world."

Amy hissed. " Whoa, what are you speaking off, I don't understand, what he?"

Galadriel looked a bit tired. The twins translated rather quickly. " An ancient enemy, one the valar conquered ages ago and imprisoned in the void. When you died Amy your soul was sent back because it wasn't normal, and not through the normal passages. Some entity hitched a ride back to your world and rested in you, waiting for the right moment to strike. Someone must have known about you and wanted you to die so there would be an opportunity to use you later on."

Amy covered her face with her hands. " Oh crap, so what am I then, why is my soul different?"

Galadriel sighed. " It is impossible to tell, but you are very strange indeed. And something besides the valar must have known, that is worrying. "

Amy felt tiny, weak. And terribly confused too, this all felt like some sort of very bizarre dream, and one she would prefer to wake up from now! "Can we go back home?"

Her voice was thin and the tall elf woman squeezed her hand again, the smile tender and her eyes apologetic. " That is yet to see, first of all the ill must be properly healed, and you cannot return to where you were, that place…doesn't exist anymore."

Amy frowned. " What? What's happened?"

Galadriel sighed and straightened her skirt, there was sadness in her eyes. " The volcano was disturbed greatly by the rift that was created, it caused a disaster. "

Amy gasped for air, she was hyper ventilating and she could see it with her inner eye, how the entire park was drowned by ash and lava. They had known that it would happen eventually but not this soon. Many had died, shit, everybody had probably died and she made a keening sound. " Oh God, oh no!"

Lucy looked very sad too. " I know, your friends right? But we cannot go back to that place now, that will kill us."

Amy fought her own hysteria and managed to overcome it, if only for a few seconds. " Sweet lord, they think we all are dead don't they?"

Lucy nodded. " Probably yes, if we just reappear there are going to be questions, lots of questions too."

Galadriel said something and the twins smiled and turned their attention to Amy once more. "The lady says that there is no problem leaving a world, that is what everybody does when they die after all, but entering a world from the outside is a whole different deal."

Amy swallowed, geez, she could need some more of that miru-what stuff. " Why?"

Galadriel looked intense and said something rather slowly to the twins. Elured nodded. " It will be like putting a needle to a balloon, things can go terribly wrong. You cannot add things to a closed system without disturbing the balance."

Amy growled. " Newton's laws, wonderful! So we have disturbed the balance of your world by entering it?"

Galadriel listened to the twins translation, then she shook her head. " No, you are but a few souls, too small of a influence to really cause much trouble, it is what may follow you that can be dangerous. Like I said, the void harbors terrible things."

Amy tried to think. " We have left a hole? Is that what you are saying?"

Galadriel nodded. " Indeed you have and until we can locate it and close it Eru alone knows what may pass through."

Amy closed her eyes again. " Shite, why do I even have this conversation, it cannot be real damn it!"

Galadriel touched her shoulder gently. " But it is child, it is. And we all just have to deal with it."

The twins translated and Amy sighed and tried to sit up, her waist ached right away and she flinched and hissed. "That orc got me good now didn't he? Goddamn bastard"

Lucy nodded. " You were brave, I have never seen anyone doing something like that before."

Amy felt herself blush. " Uh, I couldn't just let the monster kill a kid now could I?"

Galadriel said something and the twins grinned widely. " She says you are a rare person, most wouldn't have done what you did, even if it was a child in danger."

The tall man returned, two other elves followed him and they wore identical clothes and carried trays with food on them. They had to be servants or something and both were female and looked like a super model or something. Amy felt like a lunar eclipse compared with them. They put the trays on the table and Lucy nodded. "Eat, they have great food here, you wouldn't believe how nice everybody are. "

She lifted the lid of a container, fried chicken and rice. Hmm, but it didn't smell the way she was used too, she often had chicken and rice from the local fast food store but that smelled like garbage compared with this. There was some juice in a decanter and it too smelled wonderful. Damn it, if all the food in this place was this good she would look like a walrus before long.

Everybody sat in silence as she ate, it made her feel rather embarrassed and self aware but she was hungry, oh boy was she hungry. When she finished eating she had eaten so much she had a hard time believing it and felt stuffed. The servants removed the trays and the cutlery and Amy sighed, a very satisfied sigh. Now she just had to remember not to burp, it would probably be regarded as rather uncivilized by these etheric creatures. Lucy giggled. " You know, at first they thought I was some sort of orc, the make up you know. It wasn't before I took a dip in the river they trusted that I was a human."

Amy made a wry smile. " I don't doubt that no, you did look terrible, well, so did we all"

Lucy smiled. " There were several troops out hunting orcs, that saved us. There had been some very increased activity from those bastards lately and one troop heard the shots and came to investigate and another ran into Jared and the orcs he lured away. We ran straight into another little fight."

Amy scoffed. " Little? It was a full out battle!"

Lucy shrugged. " No it wasn't, not at all. I am telling you, these people do know what a huge battle is."

Amy sighed and pulled the covers tighter around herself, wait a minute? She took a peek down, her mid section was covered with bandages but otherwise from that she was buck naked. Oh holy crap, that handsome guy had seen her naked?! She felt her cheeks go beet red and tried not to squirm, alright, he was a healer, that was a doctor of some sorts right? He had to be rather used to seeing people in their birthday suits.

Elrond saw her expression and grinned and Galadriel giggled, it sounded a bit like a very young girl giggling. Lucy got up. " You have to stay here for a few more days but I am keeping an eye on everybody. The kids are doing great Amy, they are thriving here and everybody is so friendly."

Amy sighed with relief. " Oh I am so glad to know that, how are they doing otherwise?"

Lucy shrugged. " The two kids who ate poisonous berries are alright now, the ones who got hit by arrows are also doing well. They are of course a bit traumatized but not too bad, kids are remarkably resilient after all"

Amy sighed. " The girls who died?"

Lucy stared down. " Had eaten too many berries and it was too late when the elves got to them, one made it but she is still unconscious. Franklin too by the way, Elrond is keeping him under so he may heal in peace."

Amy was glad the sniper had made it, she kind of liked the guy in spite of it all. " That is great, he saved our asses back there"

Lucy nodded solemnly. " That is true, he was fighting to the very end, the elves do admire courage."

Amy felt almost drowsy and Elrond said something and touched her forehead again, probably to check her temperature. He looked pleased so she guessed that she was doing alright. He said something to the twins and they got down from the bed and smiled. " We'll leave now and let you have a nap. You need it."

Amy yawned, darn that food had made her sleepy and she felt heavy and relaxed too. "Thank you, that is very kind."

Lucy squeezed her hand and nodded. " I'll see you soon."

Amy nodded, it felt weird to be in a room with only one real wall but the view was magnificent and it wasn't cold there or anything like that. It was very comfortable. She leaned back against the huge pillow and closed her eyes and before long she was asleep.

Elrond sat down and stared at the sunset with narrow eyes, Galadriel had said that this one human girl was different and he was willing to agree. She looked rather ordinary, or rather, normal, but there was undeniably something there, something otherworldly. She didn't know it was there but the eldar could sense it and Elrond had been slightly shocked by the whole event. Suddenly there had been a rush of orcs heading towards Imladris and they had to use all their warriors to hold them at bay and then a group of humans from another world just fell into their laps so to speak. He was shocked by the fact that most were children and he was in awe of the courage they had shown.

And he was also a bit nervous, the weapon the warrior had used was terrible, he just knew that something like that in the hands of the wrong people could tip the scales completely and the rifles had been brought along and was now locked into a vault only he and Erestor knew of. Well, Galadriel probably knew it was there too but there was no way anybody could keep secrets from her. The thing that worried him the most was what Galadriel said about the valar bringing the two twins back at this moment in time. Everybody had thought that Dior's sons had perished in the woods after the sacking of Doriath but they had apparently been transported to another world and another time. And now they were back. He had had huge problems believing them when they told the warriors who they were but he felt it in his blood, they were kin and telling the truth.

And they were powerful, nobody had really thought about the fact that they had some maia blood in them but it was rather apparent now. It showed in their eyes and Elrond started to worry about their future. If the valar indeed had some great plan for these boys then their lives would most certainly become interesting from now on. And then it was Amy and the thing Galadriel said she had brought with her. Elrond could sense something when he touched her, something dark and twisted and hidden. It was so faint it was hard to feel it even to him but it was there. He was very curious as to what it was but it had most certainly made sure that the opening she created remained open. Thus it couldn't be benign at all.

He would compare it with some sort of parasite, it didn't harm its host, nor did it make its presence known until it was too late and he wondered what its purpose was. And if it would harm Amy. It probably would, such entities rarely care much about the lives of other beings and he wished that he knew what to do about it. But not even he knew how to remove such a thing from someone's fëa.

Galadriel had been very upset about the whole thing, she had seen the dead children and he knew that Galadriel had seen way to much death as it was. What were they to do with these visitors? The children were delightful, so obedient and well behaved and grateful too. He loved children and swore to himself that they would be taken well care of, no matter what happened. The woman was almost immersed in grief and he understood her so well, she had watched her daughter die and her step son had died too. Elrond had sensed a lot from that poor woman, pain and fear and grief unlike any he had sensed from any mortal before and the few glimpses he had gotten from her mind was enough to shock him to the core. Her husband had abused her? To Elrond the idea of a male hitting a female or causing her harm in any way was just repulsive. No ellon would ever hurt an elleth and to learn that this was far from unusual in their world was terrible.

Mrs Southall was a very lovely woman too, rather young to have three children and she had been a healer? Elrond wanted to know more of her skills, he suspected that their world probably knew more about some sort of illnesses than he did and that they had techniques yet to be discovered in his world.

The warrior was another puzzle, he had fought most valiantly to save the children and he had willingly sacrificed himself but Elrond sensed so much shame and guilt within the man's fëa. But also pride, and a sort of fierce determination that told him that this man was used to fighting and a survivor at heart. Well, the weapon he had brought was useless now, maybe he could become a good archer but that took years to learn.

That Lucy girl had shocked him at first, he had to grin when he thought of the strange expression in his captains eyes when he brought the girl to him. She had looked like a drowned cat with some sort of make up dripping off of her and her clothes were more like the wardrobe of a dark creature than a human being. But apparently it was some sort of fashion among a specific group of youth back where she came from. The girl was actually rather pretty when she got all the leather off and she was nice too. Looks can be deceitful indeed. The two other young ones were more of a challenge though, the boy with the strange round pieces of glass on his nose were constantly asking the most bizarre questions and that Eva girl seemed to deny the reality of everything she saw, but she was a good artist though, her drawings very nice.

He was very curious about their stories and even more about their home world, but that would have to wait until they all were in better shape than they were right now. They had to calm down, get settled in their new environment and then they could start asking questions and find out more. He got up and walked to the infirmary, there was work to do, lots of work to do. Several warriors had returned wounded and the healers were busy now. He feared that something had alerted those orcs about the rift, and had invited them in. Galadriel said that there had been orcs and wargs in Amy's world, coming from the rift, and other creatures too. The volcano ought to have incinerated them all but what had happened once may happen twice and he didn't want to take any chances. The more they knew, the safer they were.

Amy was dreaming, and she knew she was dreaming too. She was walking through a forest but it didn't look normal, it looked as if some nuclear disaster had happened cause damn, it those trees and plants weren't mutated then something truly awful was on the loose. The trees were twisted and contorted, the bark looked as if it was rotting away and slimy moss and lichens were hanging from branches that looked more like the limbs of a zombie in some B movie than a real branch. The worst about it wasn't that though, it was the lack of light, it wasn't dark, but there was no real light neither. More of a greyish fog that lay there choking everything and Amy could sense that something was moving within it, something rather horrible.

She turned around, there were no paths, no tracks at all and that grey fog was like a thick solid mass, it felt like walking through dough. But something was following her and she felt her own heart beating like a drum within her chest. There was a sound, but she didn't know from whence it came, just that it was terrible and frightening, it sounded a bit like many feet stomping and scurrying through dead leaves. She turned around and behind her stood what had to be an arachnophobiac's worst nightmare. It was a spider the size of a horse, with huge glowing red eyes and fangs the size of a small sword. It stared at her with obvious hunger but it didn't attack, instead it sort of bowed its head or whatever that body part was called slightly towards the ground. " You…bring…mother…back"

Amy sensed something else out there, something vast and dark and just indescribable and then she screamed. She woke up with a jerk that sent waves of pain through her stomach and she groaned and opened her eyes with a yelp. Oh goddam, she was seeing double again, she blinked and her vision got clearer. No, she wasn't seeing double after all, what in heck's name was it with this world and twins?! These were the ones who had grasped her when she fell, and she blushed. She had asked for the name of their hair dresser? Bet they understood a lot of that yeah. But both were very tall, extremely handsome and both stared at her and looked a bit nervous.

Amy sighed and wiped her eyes, she stared at the missing walls, it was dark outside but some lamps gave light to the room, great, she had slept for quite a while but she didn't feel well rested. In fact she felt like shit! " Ah, hello?"

She pulled the covers up underneath her chin and tried to smile, how could two people really look that similar? They didn't wear the same clothes this time so she could separate between them thanks to that but damn, if they had worn similar clothing they would have looked like two drops of water. One of them, dressed in a very nice copper colored tunic with nice embroideries said something and Amy shook her head. " Sorry dude, I don't understand your language."

They looked at each other and the first who spoke bowed his head and placed his hand over his heart with a bow. " Amin Elladan Elrondion"

Amy cocked her head, alright, that had to be his name, and wow, that had to mean that he was the son of Elrond? The other did present himself as Elrohir and Amy felt a need to roll her eyes, were these people obsessed with names starting with El? " I am Amy"

The two smiled. " A-amy"

She had to laugh. " No, listen, Amy, Amy, not A-amy"

Elladan managed to pronounce her name now and got closer, sat down in a chair and smiled again. Elrohir tried to and although he didn't manage it perfectly it was acceptable. They had a sort of singing accent that made her name sound very exotic and she felt herself blush. She felt very vulnerable sitting in bed with nothing but the duvet covering her having two such gorgeous specimen of the male gender sitting just a few feet away. She probably looked like a mess and she wondered why these two were there now.

Elladan bowed his head again, said something and she sighed. " Listen ya guys, I don't understand a single syllable of your language?"

The elf made a shrieking sound and Amy felt herself blush, they had heard her scream, marvelous. " I had a bad dream, a bad dream right? Some nasty dream about a spider."

They didn't understand, stared at each other and Amy sighed. Next to the bed was a small fireplace and she did see a rather huge dry leaf laying on the floor. She gesticulated towards it, pretended to draw something. They got it, one got the leaf and the other some charred sticks from the fireplace and she quickly drew the spider she had seen. The image wasn't exactly what you would call great art but you could see what it was and the twins stared at her with huge eyes. Then they said something that sounded like Ungol, ada, Elrond and some other words she didn't get. It obviously upset them and Elrohir ran off, Elladan stayed though and looked even more nervous.

Amy felt how the silence got more and more awkward, she had nothing to say because damn it, whatever she said this gorgeous guy wouldn't understand any of it, and worst even, she felt that she needed to pee. She shifted her weight uncomfortably and sighed, yep, her bladder was full, ready to burst. Was there something as advanced as a bathroom here? Or did these elves do their business in the bushes, or perhaps they didn't even have to pee at all? She was getting more uncomfortable by the minute, oh heck, this was terrible. She was sweating and pressing her legs together and Elladan did of course notice her stressed expression and the fact that she was squirming. He was asking her something and she guessed that he wondered if something was wrong. Oh God, how did she explain to an elf that she needed to wee?

She blushed like a beet and just knew it, she would wet her bed soon if she wasn't offered a better solution. Elladan asked again and she bit her lower lip, oh to heck with it, what dignity did she really have? She pointed down towards her crotch. " I need to pee, to take a piss, to wee. Where the fuck is the toilet? Do you even have one?"

He lifted an eyebrow in a sort of helpless grimace and she sighed and made a sound like water running and that obviously set of a lightbulb in his head for he nodded and pointed towards the balcony that obviously ran along the entire length of the building. Then he got up and got closer and Amy didn't even have time to feel shocked or scared before he just picked her up with duvet and all and carried her off. Darn the guy was strong. Amy wasn't a small woman, she was rather tall and she had muscles but he carried her as if she didn't weigh a thing. She could feel that this guy was lean but buff too, probably a skilled warrior and she would have enjoyed herself immensely if her bladder hadn't decided to wreak such havoc upon her dignity.

They rounded a corner and entered a corridor with beautiful tapestries on the wall, it was made from stone and yet it wasn't dark or foreboding but rather cozy and warm. He pushed open a door with his foot and Amy sighed with relief. It was a sort of bathroom with a kind of sink at one end and a booth at the other, with a door, Oh joy, they had doors there. He nodded and put her down rather gently and she immediately felt as if somebody had stolen her legs but she managed to drag herself, duvet and all into the booth without exposing herself to the elf.

It was far from what she was used to, just a bench with a hole in the seat but there was some sort of flushing for a stream of water rushed by underneath the hole and she guessed that they had put some stream into a pipe. They weren't completely without technology there.

She got the duvet out of the way and sat down, oh sweet Christ, those who claimed that sex was the best thing there is hadn't ever really really needed to pee. This was bliss, oh sweet relief. She sighed and just enjoyed the feeling of emptying her bladder, thank goodness she hadn't wet the bed when she had that awful nightmare. Amy had one weakness, she was suffering from severe arachnophobia and she had been that way since she was a kid. It was so typical, having nightmares about giant spiders and not something more down to earth, like wargs. Yeah right, those mutated pooches were nasty enough, what were the orcs feeding them by the way, steroids?

She saw that there weren't any paper there, instead there was a square box filled with some pieces of moss that was pressed into a sheet and it was both soft and surprisingly strong. Hmm, that was probably very good for the environment too, no trees had to die so people could wipe their butts. She was clean and ready to put her duvet or rather toga back on when she lifted her gaze and saw something dangling right in front of her. It was a spider, not a huge one, not a scary one, in fact it was barely the size of half of the nail of her little finger but it was a spider and she reacted within the blink of an eye. She bolted out of the booth like a racehorse out of a starting gate and collided, rather violently, with approximately six foot six inches of elf.

Elladan looked very shocked and looked down at her to see if she was hurt or anything and then he squeaked and looked up at the ceiling with a somewhat pained expression upon his face and Amy didn't understand until she realized that the duvet was left in the booth and she was clinging to him like a drowning person clings onto a floating log.

She yelped but didn't quite manage to let go and she suddenly realized that yes, he was most definitely a male. She had thought that anybody looking that swell had to be either gay or asexual but nope, he was reacting to what he had seen and man was he packing too. Amy tried to smile, it turned out to be the most sheepish grin of her life. " Ah, sorry?"

Elladan moaned and kept his hands behind his back but he was shivering ever so slightly and he was blushing, she had made an elf blush! That was when the door burst open and in rushed both Elrond, Lucy and Elrohir, they stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the bizarre scene with huge eyes. Amy hadn't removed that sheepish grin yet, it was plastered to her face and she whimpered. " Sorry, spider?"


	6. Itsy bitsy spider

Chapter six: Itsy bitsy spider….

Amy couldn't move, if she did, she would show them everything and Elladan had obviously understood her predicament for he sort of turned them so he shielded her from his father and the others. Elrond had lifted an eyebrow in a very peculiar grimace and Amy heard Elladan say something that sounded like ungol and he pointed at the booth. Elrond stepped forth and took a swift look and he apparently saw the spider, he looked more at ease immediately. Amy wondered if he had thought she was trying to seduce his son or something. Elrohir looked shocked and suddenly the two golden haired twins came running too, great, she had to be this evenings great entertainment!

Lucy ran forth and grabbed the duvet and Amy got it back and managed to wrap herself in without becoming an exhibitionist, the boys giggled and she managed to smile at them. "Tell him I am very sorry, I am just terrified of spiders, and reacted without thinking first"

One of the boys nodded his head and spoke and Elladan answered him, he was still blushing and Elrohir sent his brother a rather wry grin. Elrond spoke and now he looked as calm and serene as before but there was some sort of worry in his eyes. The other twin, was it Elured, translated. " They told me of your dream, you dreamt of a huge spider yes?"

Amy nodded, she felt a shudder fly through her. " Yes, huge as a horse, with red eyes. It said I would bring its mother back or something like that, it was crazy!"

They spoke rather fast as they translated to Elrond and he went rather pale. He gestured towards Elladan who blushed yet again but grasped Amy like she was a bag of flour and carried her along back to the room where she had been. After she was placed back upon the bed she was tucked in by Elrond and Lucy and she was starting to feel rather nervous by now. Why was Elrond suddenly so nervous?

Lucy looked confused too and Elladan and Elrohir had started to whisper something to each other, it didn't sound as if it was happy news. Elurin sat down on the bed and he swallowed. "Amy, you dreamt of something that is real. There are giant spiders here in middle earth, and they are the spawn of an even bigger spider, or rather, a spirit of darkness clothed in the flesh of a spider. It is a very evil creature, capable of doing immense harm to this world and it has caused mayhem and destruction in the past."

Amy hissed, oh why did she have to end up in a place with spiders the size of a frigging horse?! "Wait, the spiders said I would bring its mother back, did it mean that monster?"

Elrond said something and Elurin nodded. " Nobody has seen that beast since the age of the trees, they thought it had devoured itself in its endless hunger but maybe it sought refuge within the void. "

Amy felt dizzy. " No way, I will not have anything to do with any spider, I hate those goddamn freaks, eight legs are four too many if you ask me"

Elured grinned and his twin giggled. " You are right about that, but it has to mean something right? There is a connection there, we are sure of it."

Amy almost growled. " Well I do not care if that goddamn arachnid thinks I am some sort of freaking tool, I am not going to get anywhere near it."

Elurin translated and Elrond looked very thoughtful.. "Amy, I do not think you can ignore this, something has used you, and we need to know why, and what it was that happened to you when you drowned. You are different and I have never encountered a soul like yours. "

Amy stared at the elves in frustration. " You keep saying I am different, but I don't believe you! I am as ordinary as they come! "

The translation made her feel dizzy, the language of these people was so lovely and yet completely alien and she wished that she had been better at learning, she sucked at foreign languages. The only things she knew how to say in other languages than English were some French words that were rather impolite and also some words in Italian which were no less rude.

Elrond tried to smile but the dark expression within his eyes sort of ruined it. " I fear that whatever it was you brought with you is trying to use you to bring her back, to free Ungoliant. That could mean that the dark lord wishes to use her as a weapon."

Amy stared at the elf and listened to Elured translating, she shook her head. " Ungoliant is that bad ass spider right? What dark lord are you talking about?"

Elrond sighed and made a grimace, his voice was low and somewhat strained. " An enemy we thought were vanquished ages ago, lately signs indicate that he survived and is rebuilding his forces once more."

Amy tried to ignore the ache in her belly, she felt that this was getting more and more surreal. "And who and what exactly is he then?"

Elrond sat down, his gaze distant. " He is a maia, the former servant of the dark Vala known as Morgoth, the original dark lord of Arda. He was known once as Mairon but now he carries the name of Sauron and is no less evil than his former master."

Amy listened to the words Elurin translated and she shook her head, it felt as if she had a swarm of bees buzzing around inside of her head. " And a maia is powerful yes? He can do a lot of damage? Why would he want that spider?"

The sons of Elrond were a bit pale and Amy started to realize that this was some serious shit after all. "Morgoth used Ungoliant to kill the trees which brought light to Valinor, but he couldn't really control her hunger and might. I cannot imagine that Sauron would be powerful enough to control her, he is mighty but not as his master. Yes, a maia has great powers but they are limited compared with those of a vala."

Amy sighed and closed her eyes. " Listen ya, this is going way above my head, I cannot understand anything of it. Really, I do not even believe in magic and now you are talking about giant spiders, dark lords and god alone knows what? I am just Amy damn it, nobody really! Yes, I am a park ranger but that is everything anybody needs to know about me!"

Elladan said something that sounded a bit sad and Elured blushed when he translated. "Elladan thinks you are far more than what meets the eye."

Amy turned her head and stared at the tall elf, he returned her gaze with a calm expression and she felt herself blush a bit. Goddamn it, how could anyone look that gorgeous? "Well, I am sorry to say it buddy, but I am really nobody!"

It didn't appear as if the tall elf quite believed her words and Lucy sat down next to her on the bed and squeezed her hand. " If it is any comfort, I think these people can handle just about anything. You should have seen the things I have witnessed the last couple of days."

Amy frowned. " Wait a minute, couple of days?!"

Lucy nodded. " Yep, you were under that long, no wonder really, you were bleeding like a stuck pig!"

Amy groaned and leaned back against the huge pillows. " Yeah, I guess I were! I feel like I have spent a night at count Dracula's. All dizzy!"

Lucy giggled. " Worry not, before long you will be running around, I am dying to show you the valley and everything in it. It is so beautiful here."

Amy sighed and felt depressed. " Right, I can only think about the kids, and those who died. Damn it, if what Elrond says is true I am the reason why everything went to hell!"

Lucy shook her head. " Hey, you cannot think like that! It wasn't supposed to be like that! The valar, whatever they are, probably just wanted to bring these two lads back home, they didn't anticipate that the volcano would erupt, or that you would create a wormhole when they used you. And I am bloody sure that this thing inside of you is to blame for the mayhem."

Amy just felt lost, completely confused and sort of in a state of slight denial. " You make it sound so simple, almost natural. But it isn't, it really isn't at all! I cannot believe all this!"

Lucy got up and grasped her hand, squeezed it. " You will, in time."

Elrond said something again and they all got up, prepared to leave. " You ought to rest, we will talk again later. There is yet a lot to do here and you need to regain your strength."

Amy did feel sleepy, or rather, half dead! It felt as if she had gotten completely drained of energy and she just nodded. Lucy smiled at her and Amy knew she had found a friend there, and she was glad she had too. She didn't really have that many real friends. A servant walked into the room and put a huge mug of something onto the small table by the bed and a sort of goblet and she realized that it had to be water, in case she got thirsty. They thought of everything there, it was a bit odd.

When she finally was left alone she started to realize how downright bizarre everything was, it was on the verge of making her go utterly mad so she took a deep breath and tried to go back to sleep. She was afraid of having another dream about huge creepy crawlies but she was too tired to really care. She needed sleep, now!

Elrond and his sons returned to his office, Galadriel had gone for a stroll in the garden and the healer felt how his head was starting to ache. They had to get to the bottom of this, and solve the mystery once and for all. Galadriel said that the gate Amy had opened still was out there and he believed her. Only Eru knew what monstrosities they risked encountering if that interdimensional hole remained open. The problem was, where was it now and how could they close it off?

Elladan seemed a little distracted and Elrond had to hide a small smirk, he had gotten quite as shock when he entered the room to find that human girl clinging to his son but he did understand her situation, she obviously was terrified of spiders. And Elladan had looked very silly indeed, a most unusual situation. He usually never lost his nerve when it came to females, he always managed to stay cool and calm and in charge of everything but this time he had obviously gotten too shocked to put up his usual indifferent mask.

Elrond sat down and stared at the mess on his desk, there were papers everywhere, and he sighed and wished that they had had one of the istari present. Maybe Mithrandir could have told them more of this mysterious girl and soothed their nerves. Elrond was already quite fond of the children, they had adapted remarkably well but they all missed home and the deaths of their friends had taken its toll on all of them. He was worried about Mrs Southall in special, she was hanging on because of her two remaining daughters but he feared that she would suffer for a long time. The soldier was still unconscious and Elrond had learned from Lucy that he was an assassin of some sort, and had fought in many battles. That demanded respect but Elrond had sensed a lot of both grief and shame in the man's soul when he removed the poison from his body.

Lucy had provided them with a lot of information about their world and the kid with the glasses and his rather nosey friend Eva had been asking all sorts of odd questions. It was rather obvious that they came from a world very different from this one and Elrond was curious and also a bit aghast when Lucy told him of the wars, the weapons, the pollution and the weirdness of her home. But Amy had something which could only come from this place, from Arda, it was a sort of energy he had never encountered before and yet it felt familiar in a peculiar way. He had to speak to Galadriel again, and gather his best advisors, heck, he ought to send out words to every elven settlement and hear if they had ever encountered anything like that.

The spider thing made him very worried, he just knew that Sauron alone couldn't hope to harness Ungoliant and her wickedness and hunger, it was something way stronger and more patient behind this and the healer really feared what this could bring forth of misery. He could only hope that they would find a solution.

Galadriel returned a short time after, she looked relaxed and at ease but her eyes betrayed her, she was as confused as he was. She sat down and her fingers kept fidgeting with her sleeves, and there was a slight paleness in her cheeks he hadn't seen before. " We have to find out what this is about, and we have to close that gate!"

Elrond just mumbled. "Do tell me something new, I know that already!"

Galadriel made a vague gesture. " The rest of the group are harmless, poor innocent beings being pulled along, I do pity them. But Amy is different, and I think only Eru knows just how different she is."

Elrond took a quick sip of his wine, he didn't like being this confused. " She is normal physically, a fit and strong adeneth."

Galadriel nodded slowly. " I have a sense of foreboding when I look at her Elrond, of watching something that is hiding, camouflaged or transformed. She is like a chrysalis my friend, and I have no idea what it is that is reshaping itself inside of it."

Elrond frowned. " I sensed no such thing?"

Galadriel sighed and rested her chin in her hand, she looked tired. "Well, it is just a feeling but I trust my instincts Elrond, they have kept me alive for quite a while and I am not going to start ignoring them now. The valar used her for a reason, she is stronger than we think"

Elrond felt as though he wanted to shake the girl to get the truth out of her, but that would be useless since she didn't know anything at all about her hidden abilities. "Would the mirror help?"

Galadriel almost scoffed. " No, it would only make her even more confused, but I could try, the chances are that I won't see anything useful but it is worth a test."

Elrond sent her a pale smile. " Then do it, we need something to work with. We have to find that gate and close it and I am sure Amy is the key to doing that."

Galadriel closed her eyes for a moment. " I agree, it all started with her and I am convinced that it stops with her too. But we have to figure out exactly what it is that separates her from all others. "

Elrond shrugged. " She died and was sent back?"

Galadriel pulled at her sleeve again, rather hard and Elrond saw that Elladan, who stood at the end of the room, winced a little. He was not used to seeing his grandmother this distraught. "She met lord Nàmo, I am sure of it. The figure with the crown could only be him, but why would a human soul be brought before him? And why did he send her back? From what I have learned by listening to the things Lucy have told us they go somewhere else when they die, not to the halls of Mandos. It makes no sense!"

Elrond took another sip of wine, he felt slightly dizzy already. " Yes, she cannot be an ordinary human after all, in spite of her appearance and beliefs. The question is, what the heck is she then?"

Galadriel tilted her head. " A creature of light, of that I am sure. She would have died to protect her group, and she is very honest and humble. A good person through and through. She has flaws but so does everyone and she knows how to adapt to an unusual situation too. She will probably be able to cope with just about anything."

The healer sighed. " Yes, that may be true but I fear for her sanity, it is too much for her."

Galadriel smiled. " Of course it is, let her rest for some days , do not push her. The guards are out searching for that gate and they will let us know the moment they find something."

Elrond made a grimace. " I wish I knew just what we can expect, the gate could be anywhere yes?"

Galadriel nodded. " Yes, it moves since it isn't under anyone's control anymore, it is somewhere just outside of my perception, I can somehow sense it is there but not exactly where."

Elrond stared at the pile of papers as if he was sure it would reveal some great secret to him. "I am confused as to why it hasn't closed itself."

Galadriel tilted her head, her eyes were distant. " It is drawing power from somewhere, and I do not think that is a good thing. Something wants it to remain open."

Elrond had to get up again, he felt as if his skin was crawling. "If I only knew what! And the valar have something to do with it too, they knew about Amy and used her."

Galadriel had a sort of wry grin on her face. " I remember my uncle, how he never bowed to the valar or their will. How he always swore that the eldar were strong enough on their own, that we didn't need the valar's guidance and patronizing attitude. I am starting to think that he was right in more ways than one, they do not really care that much about the individual."

Elrond shrugged and felt even more nervous. "They see the greater picture, are a part of the song itself."

Galadriel looked stern all of a sudden. "That might be, but it doesn't give them the right to play with the fates of others as if we all were pawns in a game. I have no idea of what Amy is, nor do you but I am sure there are those who can identify her."

Elrond bit his lower lip. " Mithrandir?"

She nodded and there was a peculiar glimpse within her eyes. " Yes, and Aiwendil."

Elrond almost coughed. " Radagast?! He has devoured too many funny mushrooms to be able to have one normal thought, the fellow is more or less mad!"

She nodded and Elrond found himself a bit fascinated by the strange light flickering within her gaze " I remember them you know, from before they came to this land in the disguise as frail old men. Maiar they were, and mighty in their own ways. Radagast was no less powerful than his brethren, just more gentle, more patient."

Elrond closed his eyes. " I doubt that patience is what we need now."

Galadriel leaned forward and stared him straight in the eye. " Oh but we do, we cannot afford to be too hasty, we have to get things straight before we take any sort of action, if we fail the consequences may be dire"

Elrond almost growled. " That doesn't make me feel any better thank you very much. So what do you suggest we do?"

Galadriel got up, as usual she was incredibly graceful. " I will try to contact the istari, and then I will look in the mirror and see if there is anything to learn from it."

Elrond swallowed, tried to remain calm. " Do that, but be careful. I don't like this at all."

Galadriel nodded. " Neither do I, or else I would never have bothered getting involved in this."

Elrond felt a need to just forget about everything and get drunk, really drunk! "Too bad the girl doesn't speak our language, it is slowing everything down when one of the twins have to translate every word."

Galadriel tilted her head and for a moment she was rather charming to look at. " I may be able to offer some help there, I will ask her tomorrow."

Elrond looked as if he had his doubts. " It won't hurt her?"

The lady shook her head. " No, it will give her a headache but I am sure you can fix that. We need her to understand Elrond, to be able to cooperate with us. It is necessary that she can understand us."

Elrond sighed. " Yes, I agree. I will of course aid you in this."

Galadriel smiled sweetly and touched his hand. " I know you will, I bid thee a good night, may your dreams be pleasant."

He smiled and bowed his head. " Likewise"

Galadriel left and Elladan stepped forth, he had been quiet the whole time and there was something odd about his gaze, something akin to wonder. " Ada, I understand that Amy is important somehow but I find it hard to believe, she is so…mundane!"

Elrond smiled at his son and petted him on his shoulder. "The mundane may hide the magnificent, just you wait and see. "

The valley was peaceful that night, the guards went their rounds, some entertained themselves within the hall of fire with song and tales and most others were sleeping. The children who had accompanied Amy had been given a whole building to live in and some ellith were busy taking care of them. James and Eva and the other surviving college girl had rooms of their own and Lucy had gotten a room too, a rather large one. Mrs Southall and her daughters had gotten an apartment within another huge house there and Elrond had ordered that she never was to be completely alone, there were servants or guards of just some healers nearby at all times.

Franklin hadn't been awakened yet, the poison had to be completely removed from his system before they dared to bring him back to the waking world but Elrond had been confident that he would be ready soon, perhaps tomorrow. There were several of the captains and warriors who wanted to know more about his strange weapons. The dead had been burned in a very nice ceremony, they couldn't wait with it since the temperature would have made the bodies rot rather fast and Elrond was sad that Amy hadn't been able to participate but it was probably for the best. It would have been a huge emotional challenge for her, and maybe it would have broken her already fragile mind.

The next morning came with fog and some rain and the grey and somewhat depressing conditions were not made any better by the fact that a hawk suddenly arrived from Mirkwood. It carried a message that sent Elrond into a state of almost catatonic shock and Erestor and Glorfindel had to spend quite some time to calm him down. Apparently all the spiders that currently had been invading what had been great greenwood suddenly felt an almost irresistible urge to migrate! Hundreds if not thousands of them were on the move and Thranduil was as happy as a cat with a huge bowl of milk seeing them leave, but just for courtesy and to remain on friendly terms with his neighbors he wanted to warn them that the pesky critters were heading their way.

Glorfindel immediately ran to mobilize every available warrior and to prepare them for an invasion and Erestor tried to come up with a plan on how they were to evacuate the civilians if the situation called for it. Elrond were spinning around himself like a top, trying to understand this and Galadriel was sure that the spiders somehow were drawn to Amy. They could no longer wait, the creatures would be there in just a weeks time and they had to hurry. So Galadriel herself went to wake the girl up and see that she got a good breakfast before they went to work.

Amy was a bit confused when she woke up to find Galadriel sitting by her bed, she had not anticipated that the mighty elven lady would bother with her but apparently she did. Some servants brought her some food and Amy ate although she felt a bit nervous. It was rather apparent that something had happened and she wanted to know what it was. Elured showed up and Galadriel sent Amy a somewhat sad smile. " We received a message from one of the other elven realms this morning, there is a huge group of spiders heading this way."

Amy froze. " What do you mean huge group? How many?"

Galadriel waited for Elured to translate and her gaze was almost apologetic. " Thousands if not more"

Amy felt nauseous almost instantly. " And I bet those are tiny house spiders?"

Galadriel shook her head. " No, the huge kind."

Amy swallowed hard. " Oh shit, I have really ended in the middle of a nightmare!"

Elured listened to what Galadriel said and suddenly he looked a bit more enthusiastic. " Galadriel is perhaps able to teach you our language, really fast. But it will give you a headache and be a bit confusing"

Amy squinted, her face looked rather odd. " Really? How? Is it dangerous?"

Galadriel shook her head as soon as the young elf had translated Amy's words. " No, it is not dangerous, just uncomfortable. But if we are to get to the bottom of this you need to understand, and we need to understand you in return. It is unfortunately very hard to avoid it with this little change in the situation."

Amy sighed and closed her eyes. " She has to take a sneak peek into my head again right? Alright then, go ahead. But I want something for that headache, and it better work!"

Galadriel sent Amy a wry grin, the girl was brave and a bit rough around the edges but she liked that. This was no dainty little flower but a fighter and Galadriel supposed that Amy would need that later on. She got up and placed a hand on Amy's head, whispered soothing words as she concentrated on the very concept of language and how Sindarin had to sound to someone unfamiliar with it.

Amy felt as if her head was spinning around, she got dizzy and she heard words coming from every conceivable direction, it was too much and yet she couldn't stop it. It felt as if her brain suddenly was about to burst and she gasped and trembled, grasping onto her pillow desperately as strange new concepts forced their way into her dazed mind. Galadriel kept chanting and Amy started to understand it, it was insane but suddenly the strange melodious language made sense. When Galadriel stopped Amy felt as if someone had used her head as a bongo drum and her sinuses hurt like hell for some weird reason, her eyes were overflowing with tears and she had to sneeze several times.

" Oh crap, my head feels as if it wants to split open!"

Amy flinched, she had spoken that odd elvish language instead of English and hadn't even been consciously aware of it. Elured grinned widely. " At last, I can return to my brother, we are learning of the later history of this place."

Amy had to blink and Galadriel smiled at Elured. " Go find Elrond dear, and ask him to visit us, Amy needs his help I fear."

Amy blinked again. " Damnation, I have never had such a headache before, it feels like migraine, Elrond better hurry or I will puke all over these lovely sheets"

Galadriel smiled again, that mild and somewhat distant smile. " It will be better child, worry not."

Amy leaned back against the pillows, the light was suddenly just too bright for her. " So the spiders are heading this way, are they trying to find that portal or gate thing?"

Galadriel shrugged. " We do not know, it could be that or it could be that they are seeking you!"

Amy hissed. " Shite, then I'd better be gone from here before I endanger you all, I mean, if I am not here the spiders will not bother with this place right?"

Galadriel had a somewhat distant expression upon her face. " That may be true, but then again, perhaps not. If the gate is nearby then it could be that something beyond it draws them nearer, we do not know yet."

Amy groaned, her head throbbed and she had thought that the last time she got drunk on tequila was bad? That was nothing compared with this. Galadriel had to have scrambled her insides completely. " Is there some way you can find out more?"

Galadriel sighed and leaned forward, her mild expression was replaced by a rather stern one. "Yes, I will seek the council of the istari whom I have summoned, and try to use my mirror."

Amy frowned. "A mirror? What in heavens name can a mirror do except show you every wrinkle and imperfection you by the way do not have?"

Galadriel laughed. " My mirror shows people the things they cannot see otherwise, the past, the future, things to come and things that were and things that may or may not be. The future is like a huge tree with a myriad of different branches, all represent a possible future and just a small coincidence may change its direction."

Amy nodded, she kept her eyes closed. " We have a theory where I am from, if a butterfly flickers its wings it can in turn cause a storm to appear in a wholly different country."

Galadriel nodded slowly. " The tiniest of things may affect the greater picture, I understand that. I think you are such a butterfly Amy, and you have created a hurricane by showing up here."

Amy cringed. " I am sorry"

Galadriel grasped her hand, the elven lady's hand was warm and soft and so very real, so solid. Amy had almost expected it to be something insubstantial of gossamer or something like that. " Do not be sorry child, it wasn't your fault. When Mithrandir and Aiwendil get here I hope we can unravel the mystery of your unusual soul and why the valar used you to bring the twins back."

Amy tilted her head, oh holy heck how her head hurt. But the language felt as if she had spoken it her entire life. It was odd but it was natural too. " Who are they?"

Galadriel smiled. " Istari, maiar sent to our world by the valar to help us in the battle against the darkness. Mithrandir is also known as Gandalf and Aiwendil is known as Radagast."

Amy felt dizzy still. "So they are like powerful right? They know stuff?"

Galadriel nodded. " They do, some do not think that Radagast is that smart but he is, he is a very gentle soul fond of beasts and growing things, but no less powerful than the rest of his order."

Amy sighed. " Wizards, great. Where I am from magic and wizards belong in children's fairy tales, nobody believes such creatures are real."

Galadriel cocked her head. " And you Amy, do you believe?"

Amy let out a nervous laughter. " I have to don't I? I believe what I see and I am in some alien world with elves and orcs and heaven knows what else."

Galadriel smiled slowly. " You are remarkable Amy, so strong and yet unable to see it. I think you are more special than anybody could guess."

The door opened and Elrond entered, he looked stressed out and Amy raised an eyebrow, his elegant robes were wrinkled and some buttons were placed in the wrong hole, he looked rather disheveled. The healer sent Amy an apologetic grin. " I am sorry I couldn't come sooner, I had to go through our storage of spider anti venom, we do not have that much of the stuff I am afraid."

He put both hands on her head and Amy felt as if the pain was being sucked right out of her head, it hurt like fucking hell for a few seconds and then it was all gone and she felt just fine. She stared at Elrond with huge eyes. " Dude, if you had done that to someone back home I bet there would be doctors suing you from here to kingdom come for stealing their patients!"

Elrond cocked his head and looked confused and Amy just waved him off. " Never mind, thank you anyhow. I needed that!"

Galadriel got up. " I will seek the mirror and see what I might unravel with its help. I have tried to contact Mithrandir but I am not sure I managed to reach him. I know I reached Aiwendil, he will be here in just a couple of days."

Elrond smiled but Amy saw that his expression was one of mixed distaste and respect. "Lovely, I cannot wait to meet him again."

Galadriel bowed her head. " Oh come on mellon, he isn't that bad now is he? I admit he is a bit on the odd side but he is genuinely good, not too many can brag about that these days."

Elrond almost rolled his eyes and Galadriel left without a sound. Amy stared at the healer and felt very confused. " Why do you not like that Radagast guy?"

Elrond tried to smile. " It is not that I don't like him, he is very wise and kind and very compassionate too. But he is rather…uncouth."

Amy tilted her head, she felt remarkably well now, these elves did really know how to fix people, that was for sure. " What do you mean?"

Elrond sat down and sighed " The last time he came to visit us there was a whole family of ferrets living within his robes and a bat used his left ear as its perch. And he had a birds nest under his hat, there were bird droppings running down his face and into his soup! The chef almost lost it when she saw it"

Amy had to laugh. " Seriously? A birds nest?"

Elrond sighed again, even deeper. " Yes, and once he showed up with a whole pack of foxes following him, they wreaked havoc with our chickens. Not one was left alive!"

Amy started to understand that this could be interesting indeed. " So, what am I to do?"

Elrond smiled and petted her hand. " Relax and regain your strength, I have asked one of our servants to take you to the baths, and then you may meet the others of your group."

Amy closed her eyes. "Thank you, I am dreaming of a decent bath now, but I cannot say I am looking forward to meeting the others again. I have no idea of what to say to them. Do they know that I brought them here?"

Elrond grasped her hand. " Amy, you didn't bring them here, forget about that idea. Yes, the valar used you to open that gate but I am bloody sure you and the others weren't meant to go through it. It was just Elured and Elurin they wanted to bring back to Arda. Something went wrong Amy, and it wasn't your fault."

Amy took a deep breath. " I head you saying this but I have a hard time accepting it. It feels as though it is my fault all the same. They were my responsibility damn it, my duty was to protect them and I failed!"

Elrond held her hand firmly. " Tell me, how could you have done more? What could you have done? You tried Amy, and you were willing to die to protect an innocent child, you cannot possibly blame yourself for any of this."

She just grimaced. " I wish it could be undone"

Elrond nodded. " Of course you do, we all have things we wish we could go back and change but it is impossible. Time cannot be turned around, not even the valar can change the past."

Amy bit her lower lip. " It is odd though, it sort of changes ones perspective doesn't it? Before I think that the one thing I most regretted and wanted to go back to change was the fact that one of my best friends got killed by a drunk driver. I wished that I could go back and tell her to stay home that night. But now, now I wish I could have stopped us from leaving the headquarters at all. I could have refused to work that day, stayed in bed."

Elrond smiled, a very sad smile. " You are very unselfish Amy, that is admirable."

She just shrugged. "Is there something you wish you could go back in time to change?"

Elrond got a peculiar expression on his face, one of bittersweet acceptance. " Oh child, there are so many things I wish I could change, my brothers choice to become a mortal, the death of my foster father, the disappearance of my other foster father. Things that happened even before I was conceived…but it is just dreams, hollow and false, the past is just that, past. It may be bitter and it may be filled with dark memories but it is what we are, it shapes us, make us what we are meant to be."

Amy nodded. " You are smart, I guess you are right. So, about that bath?"

Elrond got up. " There will be an elleth coming for you in a short while, we have a very nice bathhouse here. I think you will like it."

Amy cringed. A bathhouse? Not a private bathroom? Oh damnation, she was painfully shy and the idea of having some gorgeous otherworldly elleth watching her wasn't that encouraging but then again, she needed a bath, desperately. " Wonderful, I cannot wait"

Elrond smiled and bowed his head before he left and Amy was left wondering if this day would end with misery. There were wizards on their way, a horde of spiders too and what was she to do with the others from her world? There had to be something she could do to help them? But what?!

Galadriel had walked through her favorite garden, it had been her beloved daughters and here she still felt a sort of connection to Celebrian. In the middle of the garden there was a pedestal with a bowl on top of it, Galadriel feared what she was about to do. She had a feeling of interfering with the grand plan of Eru himself but they needed to know more. She had no idea of what she would see, if she would see anything at all. But she couldn't hesitate, they had to know, to investigate the strangeness of this adeneth.

She grasped her silver jug and gathered her courage, this drained her of strength, and she knew that her visions maybe could be dark ones but she had faced darkness before and resisted it. She filled the bowl with the clear water and waited until it had calmed down to form a shining surface. She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts, calmed herself down. She stared at the shining surface and almost immediately she saw an almost impossible sight. Thousands of spiders and they were consuming each other, and slowly they sort of merged together into something truly monstrous, a gigantic creature which seemed to consist of nothing but darkness.

She gasped and closed her eyes, Ungoliant! She would be reborn from her own offspring!

She had to see more, stared yet again at the mirror. Amy stood in a circle of flames but the fire wasn't bright and red but dark and strangely solid, like they were made from something else than usual fire. Her eyes were red and appeared to bleed and something ripped itself out of her, something that resembled a mist, glowing with darkness. It merged with the monstrosity and Galadriel knew that Amy somehow could bring the very spirit of the spider back to Arda. It could not be allowed to happen!

Galadriel gathered all her courage, she was a grandchild of Finwë, she showed no fear no matter what happened. She stared at the mirror a third time and this time she saw two images at once. One of Amy laying on the ground, Elladan appeared to hold her close and he was obviously crying. Amy looked dead and she had a dagger buried in her chest. The other image was of spiders spreading all over the lands, devouring everything, even the orcs of Sauron. She saw them join forces with all other realms, even that of Sauron but to no prevail, the spiders were too many and their evil mistress was too hungry, too mighty. The world would fall to her power and become cold and dark and ultimately dead. Then the dark spider would hibernate for ages and wait for life to return before it all would happen again.

Galadriel staggered backwards, her eyes filled with dread, with disbelief. This was worse than she ever could have imagined it. This was possibly the end of the world. She had to tell them, she had to warn everyone, but how was she to explain this to that poor girl? And what did her vision truly mean? She hoped that the istari would hurry, she needed their advice more than ever before!


	7. a whole lotta lovin' going on

Chapter seven: A whole lotta lovin' going on

Franklin woke up feeling like crap, and that was an improvement to not waking up at all but he couldn't say that he liked it that much. He felt stiff and sore and his head was spinning and his entire body felt weak and limp. He blinked and stared at a ceiling made from wood, he lay in a very clean room which smelled rather nice but there was also some strange herbal scents there he couldn't recognize. What had happened? He didn't understand at first, then he remembered, a huge group of riders had arrived just in the nick of time. Oh shit, the kids, had they made it?

He tried to get up but he was too dizzy and immediately he felt someone grasping onto him, saying something in a very melodic language he didn't understand at all. He turned his head and saw a young woman with long auburn hair and a very sweet face with the clearest eyes he had ever seen. If this was a nurse he didn't mind staying for a while. He tried to smile to her but his mouth felt dry like a cat's litter box and he made a croaking sound. Great, wonderful, he sounded like a bullfrog with a throat infection. The girl just smiled and grasped a cup of something from a small table and held it against his lips. He thought it was water but it was something sweet and at the same time strong that left a very pleasant taste in his mouth and made him feel a heck of a lot better right away. What was this stuff?

He did notice that the girl wore a rather old fashioned dress, not a uniform but a velvet dress in soft green colors with golden embroideries. It was nice but not what you would expect to see in a hospital, didn't these people know anything about hygiene? That dress was a dust collector for sure. But the riders had been using bows and arrows and wore armor so this had to be a place that probably hadn't left the middle ages yet. That wasn't a very comforting thought, what had they done to him? Used leeches?

The girl smiled and she had perfect skin and perfect teeth too, she looked so goddamn healthy it was almost unreal. He tried to sit up and she immediately helped him, saying something he didn't understand but he could have listened to that soft voice forever nevertheless. " I am Franklin, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

He tried to gesture to make her aware of the fact that it was his name and she tilted her head and put a hand onto her own chest and bowed her head. " Im Thalatriel"

That had to be her name and he smiled and noticed how the room looked very open, there were huge windows without glass in them and one wall was just made up from columns. There were plants growing in pots in the corners and the air was so very fresh and clean. He was obviously among friends but where was the others? He felt a surge of panic, remembered that Lucy and Amy had left searching for help. He stared at the girl. " Amy? Lucy?"

The girl nodded and said something that sounded reassuring, she grasped a small bell and rung it and a tall slender male entered the room. She spoke a few words and he nodded and left and Thalatriel tilted her head and smiled. Had that guy left to get the girls? By the way, the guy had been prettier than many girls Franklin knew and he got a feeling that these people weren't what they seemed to be. Well, they had encountered orcs so why not? They were not at home anymore, that was for sure. The girl walked over to a table and got a bowl with something in it, it had to be a sort of stew and it smelled very good. He was given a wooden spoon too and he took a hesitant mouthful. It was wonderful, suddenly he realized that he was hungry like a pack of wolves and emptied the bowl in record time. He was given a goblet with something that had to be thin wine afterwards and that too tasted like pure joy. These people had to have some good chefs for sure.

Then the door opened and Lucy entered, she wore a very nice dress in a dark copper colored fabric and she looked rather stunning. He could barely recognize her. She sat down on the bed and Franklin swallowed, he didn't want to ask but he had to. " How is everybody? Did they make it?"

Lucy nodded and started telling him of the things that had happened and Franklin sat there and felt more and more confused and shocked. Elves? They had encountered elves? And they were in some magical valley? Franklin felt more than a little shaken but he managed to keep his cools, after all, he was a soldier, he couldn't just lose his marbles over small things. The tall elf girl sat there and smiled and he had to grin at her, she was darn pretty. He had seen models who were less attractive than this female elf and if they all were that pretty then he knew he would feel like a warthog in a pack of Arabian horses.

Lucy told him about Elrond and the other elves there and she looked happy and content. That they had lost some children made Franklin feel awful, he felt as though he ought to have done more but what could he have done? Lucy smiled and petted his hand. " You will be okay soon, Elrond is an amazing healer and the food here is really nice. You will be up and about in no-time, believe me"

Franklin sighed and stared at Thalatriel. " I do not understand what they are saying, it is a bit annoying."

Lucy winked at him." Is it now? Well, Galadriel can make people understand their language by entering one's mind but it creates quite a headache. Amy had that done to her by the way, and she now speaks elvish, well, at least one elvish language, but it left her with the migraine from hell for a while."

Franklin hissed and shook his head. " Nobody enters my mind, I am telling you this. But it would be nice knowing what people are talking about. By the way, can we get back home?"

Lucy sighed and shook her head. " Nope, the volcano erupted Franklin, bada-boom big time! There is nothing left to return to, and even if they managed to get us back there would be questions asked, and what the hell would we answer? "

Franklin swallowed. " So we are stuck here?"

Lucy nodded. " Yes, but it isn't that bad. This place is wonderful and everybody is so friendly and the kids have adapted well. The only bad thing is that Amy somehow is connected with the fact that we came to this place, and she is supposedly not exactly what she seems to be. They are trying to figure it out but they are waiting for some wizard to arrive before they can do anything for real."

Franklin frowned. " Amy? She seemed to be the most normal girl I have met so far in my life, well, she is dedicated and brave but nothing out of the ordinary."

Lucy shook her head. " Nope, they think she has a stove away somewhere in her mind, some sort of force and it is not benign. But don't blame her for us ending up here, it wasn't her fault at all."

Franklin could just nod. " Alrigh, I do not blame her. But what the hey am I to do when I get back onto my feet?"

Lucy tilted her head, looked confused. " What do you mean?"

Franklin shrugged. " I mean, I am a soldier, used to fire-arms. That is what I do for a living, how can I be of any use here? They fight with swords damn it"

Lucy winked again. " Oh, I am sure they will find something you can do, you must have learned a lot right? And experienced a lot too?"

Franklin sighed and leaned back against the pillows, they were so nice and soft and yet not too soft. When he looked at things there everything seemed to be so well made, and made to last. These people took their time when they produced stuff, that was for sure. " I have, I guess I could try to become a carpenter or something. I am rather good at carving wood too. My dad taught me when I was a kid."

Lucy nodded and touched his shoulder. " See? I am sure you will like it here. Rest now, I have to go and check how the kids are doing, they are so curious and tends to get lost every now and then."

Franklin leaned his head back and felt tired, yep, he had definitely been wounded and he had never felt that bad before but it was getting better and he understood that the arrow had been poisoned. They had to be pretty skilled to be able to deal with something like that. He was in good hands and so where the others too, he ought to relax but he couldn't. He was a soldier and his instincts were unable to rest even now.

Amy had waited for a while before the elleth came to take her to the baths, it was someone she hadn't seen before but the tall blonde was kind and polite and she sort of liked her. Her name was Niriel and she was probably several thousand years old but looked like she wasn't a day over twenty and Amy felt like she ought to hide herself because she was not exactly comparable with that elleth when it came to beauty. Niriel went in front of her and Amy soon entered a huge building which was the closest thing to a real spa she could imagine in a world like this. There was a huge central pool in the middle of the building, it was the size of a huge swimming pool and built in marble or so it seemed. Then there were several smaller pools placed around it and some were hot while others were cold and there were also a sort of Jacuzzi there, How they managed to make the water move was anyone's guess. Niriel showed her several booths were one could leave clothes or towels and Amy felt so darn shy all of a sudden. It was rather apparent that everybody was bathing there when they felt like it and that there weren't any rules as to when males or females were to use the bath. So both genders bathed together? Amy was used to people who were open minded but also the opposite, she guessed that elves were different than people when it came to such things. Perhaps they didn't know what it meant to be shy at all?

She got her clothes off and followed Niriel towards the huge pool. The water was rather warm and she got curious. " How do you heat that much water?"

The elleth sat down onto the edge and slid into the water without even making a splash. Amy felt like a stranded humpback whale compared with her. " Hot springs, we mix the hot water with water from the rivers and then we get the right temperature for the different pools."

Amy tried to get into the water with grace too, but she discovered that the pool was rather deep and she almost went completely under. " That…that is smart. Oh, this feels great!"

Niriel giggled. " I am sure it does, you did smell quite a bit."

Amy cringed. " No kidding! I fear I smell like a garbage dump in August"

Niriel looked confused. " I am afraid I don't understand? "

Amy wanted to close her eyes in bliss. " August is the hottest month of the year where I am from"

Niriel smiled. " Oh, I see. Well, you didn't smell that bad really, not for a human anyhow."

Amy felt a bit awkward and leaned against the edge of the pool. " Is it normal for both genders to bathe together here?"

Niriel nodded. " Yes, nobody sees anything wrong with that. We ought to be proud of our bodies, and enjoy them."

Amy cocked her head. " What do you mean by that? Now it is me who is confused."

Niriel giggled and ducked her head under to get her hair wet. " I understand, you edain have such strict rules. But what I meant is that we eldar usually sees the pleasures of the flesh as a gift, as something to be enjoyed and sought, not something that ought to be hidden and never spoken off"

Amy frowned. " Uh, but you are monogamous right?"

Niriel smiled. " Yes, when we have found our one we usually stay true to that one person, but before we find our true mate and bond we normally enjoy many partners."

Amy had to roll her eyes, that sounded a bit like a hippie's heaven. " How do you know that you have found your one?"

Niriel grasped a bottle of something from the edge of the pool, it had to be some sort of shampoo for it smelled very nice and it was a thick liquid. " You just know, believe me, it is a wonderful feeling. Suddenly you are whole, complete. "

Amy sighed, " Have you found your one Niriel?"

The tall blonde shook her head. " No, not yet. But I am sure I will one day, and then I will settle down and if the valar bless me I want some elflings"

Amy had not seen that many kids there, but if elves were immortal there ought to be a potential over-population problem but it didn't seem to be that way." Let me guess, you people don't get many children?"

Niriel started massaging the shampoo into Amy's thick mahogany hair. " No, we are not like you edain. When a couple wants to create a child both have to agree to conceive a new life, there cannot be any accidents so to speak."

Amy lifted an eyebrow. "Damn, that has to be convenient, no fear of unwanted pregnancies."

Niriel looked a bit curious. " Not to be rude, but I know the edain have some methods to avoid having too many children?"

Amy felt herself blush. " Uh, where I am from we do have some ways to control such things yes, I bet they are pretty different from the methods humans here use though, my world is much more advanced."

The elleth still looked rather curious and Amy felt her face turning beet red. " Shall I describe them?"

Niriel smiled. " Yes please, I would like to hear, I want to become a healer and I find these kind of things interesting. Your world must be very different from ours indeed."

Amy had to chuckle. " Oh you have no idea!"

She started to explain about pills and condoms and other contraceptives and Niriel seemed shocked but amused too. " So they put that thing onto their…gweth…and then there will be no kids?"

Amy nodded. " Yes, that is the idea behind it."

Niriel giggled. " Oh, I cannot see myself asking some ellon to do that, we are lucky I guess. Have you found your one Amy?"

Amy jerked. " Ah, no, we humans do things a wee bit differently I think. We do not have such a thing as a soulmate or one. "

Niriel frowned. " But you do have had lovers? You are an adult?"

Amy made a grimace. " Well, yes, uh, I have had a couple of short term relationships, neither was much to brag about and that last one was a disaster."

Niriel continued to massage Amy's hair, she looked a bit shocked. " Really? What went wrong?"

Amy sighed, the feeling of those strong fingers on her scalp almost made her want to fall asleep. " Basically everything! The son of a bitch was a cheating bastard who used me to get a place to stay and food to eat. Lazy and stupid too"

Niriel gasped. " He was cheating on you?! No ellon would do that!"

Amy felt a bit bitter, she had invested two precious years on that creep before she managed to see through his lies. " Then aren't you ellith the lucky ones! I kicked the dirtbag to the curb but not before he had managed to get away with much of my money. So ever since then I have been alone."

Niriel looked sad. "That is terrible, but there are many ellyn here who would love to get to know you better."

Amy scoffed. " Are you serious? The valley is full of gorgeous ellith and they would want to spend time with something like me? Are they daft? Or blind?"

Niriel frowned and leaned against the edge of the pool. " No? You are exotic, and you do not see your own beauty. I know that Elladan likes you a lot!"

Amy had to blush, the spider incident was fresh in her mind still, and he had reacted to her, rather vigorously too. " Are you kidding me? But…"

Niriel shrugged. " I overheard him and his brother whilst having dinner, Elladan really do find you attractive. I heard him say that he would love to worship every curve on your body!"

Amy almost gulped. Oh darn, these elves were really outspoken now weren't they? "Is that true?"

Niriel nodded rather eagerly. " Yes, and many ellith here are jealous of you and Lucy and the lady with the two daughters. "

Amy gasped. " I beg your pardon? Jealous? You look like angels damn it, and we are nowhere near as pretty as you"

Niriel looked a bit confused but her face showed determination. "You are so feminine don't you know, so curvy!"

Amy blushed and looked down onto her own chest. She had a nice C cup, which almost was a D, Niriel was a small B and she started to realize that ellyn were no different from other males. " So the ellyn does like curves?"

Niriel giggled and got a bit closer, whispered into Amy's ear. "It drives them wild! I bet you can get anyone here into bed with you if you want to. You have such nice hips too, and that hair of yours is lovely"

Amy bit her lower lip, feeling silly. " But it is so wild and untamable and it is nowhere near as shiny as yours."

Niriel let a hand slide through Amy's locks. " Oh but it is, the color is so rare among us and you have natural curls, we have to use hot iron to get curls."

Amy had only seen people with straight hair so that had to be true too. " Well, I am glad you shared this information with me, but I do not think I will bed anyone here. It just doesn't feel right"

Niriel looked sad. " Why? You have a nice body, why not enjoy it? I am sure Elladan would be delighted to give you some nights of pleasure."

Amy almost burst into laughter but managed to control herself. " I think I have to focus on other more important things though. It isn't that I doubt his…skills! It is just that I'm not the kind of a girl who just sleeps with someone for the heck of it. It isn't seen as very proper behavior where I am from."

Niriel shrugged. "That is sad, there is nothing that helps clear the mind like a good tumble."

Amy had to laugh. " True words, and now I have to get out of this water unless I want to look like a raisin for the rest of the day"

Niriel laughed too and they got some towels and Amy felt that the shampoo had transformed her hair into silky heaven. Maybe there was some truth in what Niriel had said after all, but damn it, she wasn't going to seduce some elf. It had been years since the last time she got some but she wasn't desperate. And she did suspect that an ellon was a wee bit more vigorous than most men and probably had a stamina to match that too. She wouldn't want to get herself into something that would render her unable to walk the morning after. She just grinned to herself and got redressed in a rather nice gown Niriel had brought for her. It was deep blue with lovely embroideries and she suspected that the art of embroidering was held in high regard there, for every freaking piece of fabric seemed to have been the victim of someone with a needle and thread. Even the handkerchiefs were embroidered and she would not have been shocked to find embroidered toilet paper!

They went to the dining hall and Amy felt a bit weak still but she was getting better and she enjoyed using her muscles again. It hurt, but in a good way and she soon realized that Niriel was right. The dress she wore was probably made for an elleth and thus it was rather tight around her chest and a couple of ellyn stared at her with eyes that looked as if they were about to pop out of their skulls. Niriel giggled and nudged her with her elbow. " Now, what did I tell you?"

Amy growled. " Oh how I want to shout at them and tell them my face is up here!"

Niriel petted her shoulder. " Worry not, they will get accustomed to it. Lucy almost made Lindir faint the first night she was to eat here, she leaned down to pick up something she had dropped and since he sat straight in front of her he saw…well, a lot!"

Amy had to chuckle. Lucy was not as busty as herself but she had a small C and since she was more petite than Amy it was more striking. " And Lindir is?"

Niriel smiled. " Our minstrel, he is a bit shy around females, and tends to forget what he is to say when there is an attractive female nearby. He sort of forgot the lyrics to his songs the rest of that day"

Amy sat down at a table and an elleth in a sort of uniform with an apron came scurrying with some plates with cheese and vegetables and bread. " He did?"

Niriel nodded and poured what had to be juice into Amy's glass. " Yes, and he kept staring at her the rest of that evening. Couldn't tear his eyes off her. I think she made quite an impact upon him"

Amy felt a bit worried, Lucy was rather young but she was no kid, there was really no way to tell her age but Amy guessed that the girl had to be at least nineteen. Perhaps even more and so she was an adult and capable of taking her own decisions. " He won't take advantage of her?"

Niriel made a sound that sounded a bit like a horse. " Are you nuts? Lindir couldn't take advantage of anything, he is the most gentle and friendly soul in all of Imladris. He couldn't hurt a fly! No, I bet Lucy would be able to spin him around her little finger without even trying. And there will be some rather lovely ballads being written in her honor, believe me."

Amy had to laugh. " Oh, that is precious!"

Niriel cocked her head. " What?"

Amy bit her lower lip. " It makes me think of a very famous song back home, it is called "Lucy in a sky with diamonds" and it is very well known"

Niriel gasped. " That is such a lovely title, what minstrel wrote that?"

Amy had to giggle again. " A group of minstrels, they called themselves The Beatles by the way!"

Niriel looked flabbergasted. " Who would name themselves after some insects?! That is weird!"

Amy had to grin, a rather vicious grin. " If you think that is weird you should have seen some of the other names of groups back home. We do for instance have a group called Smashing pumpkins"

Niriel looked even more in disbelief. " Your world is weird Amy"

The woman could only smile and nod. " Indeed it is!"

They finished eating and a servant came looking for Amy, she thanked Niriel for the bath and the chat and felt as if she had made a real friend there. She followed the servant to the office of Elrond and she saw that Galadriel was there too. She looked terrible, or rather, a wee bit less fabulous that usual. To an elf that was probably the equivalent to a really bad hair day. Elrond smiled but there was a darkness in his eyes and he looked uncertain about how he was to approach this. Amy sat down and felt that she had been walking a bit too much, her waist ached again but the wound had sealed itself nicely, it was just red and irritated. Elrond sat down and stared at his hands. " A hawk arrived from King Thranduil's realm, it seems that there aren't one single spider left there anymore. But he refuses to let us lend any of his warriors. They could have attacked the spiders from behind while we defend ourselves from the front but he doesn't want to risk any of his own people."

Amy felt angry. " And he is a king? What does that name mean by the way? Vigorous spring? Sounds more like Frozen Tundra if you ask me!"

Galadriel made huge eyes, then she had to hide her mouth with her hand as she giggled. " Oh dear child, you do have a way with words"

Elrond was close to grinning too, she could see that the esteemed healer had problems controlling himself. " Ah, well, he is known for being an isolationist so I kind of expected it"

Amy swallowed. " Pun aside, the spiders are heading this way still?"

Elrond nodded. " Yes, our scouts are sure. They will be here in a couple of weeks. We are preparing our defenses as we speak and I have sent out messengers to all the villages and settlements in their way. They will have to evacuate soon."

Amy cringed, the very concept of thousands of creepy huge spiders was enough to make her skin crawl. " What sort of defenses do you have?"

Elrond sighed. " Archers, and fencers. The spiders are fast Amy, and cannot be fought on horseback. They will move through the trees."

Amy bit her lower lip. " Listen, I know you love trees alright but there is one thing you can do."

Elrond frowned, " What? Speak child, every suggestion is welcome, no matter how strange"

Amy took a deep breath. " I have watched many movies, they are like theatrical plays alright? And I have learned a few things from them. "

She closed her eyes to concentrate upon what she was to say. " Spiders are afraid of fire aren't they? So if you fell a line of trees and make trenches filled with pitch or something else that burns well it ought to slow them down. And you can use traps too, like luring them into ravines and unleashing avalanches and things like that"

Elrond raised an eyebrow. " I would never consider felling trees unless it was a crisis and it is, but we will nevertheless wait for Mithrandir, It could be that he has some tricks up his sleeve that could prove helpful, and save the forest."

Amy nodded. " That is alright, but I will not sit here and wait for those creepy arachnids to arrive!"

Elrond smiled. " You are right, you cannot stay here. We have to find out if they will follow you, and find where the portal has gone."

Amy felt nervous." So I am to leave?"

Elrond nodded. " You are, as soon as the wizards have arrived and determined what we are to do. I have arranged for my sons to escort you"

Amy winced. She was to travel with those two smoking hot specimens of the male gender? Of whom one supposedly had a bit of a crush on her? That ought to be interesting! Galadriel made a grimace. " I looked into the mirror Amy, and I didn't understand what I saw, only that it has several possible outcomes and all seemed just as grim. I need the wisdom of the Istari to solve the riddles, and I am sorry Amy but I think you are more important than we first thought. "

Amy saw that sadness in Galadriel's eyes and she felt her mouth go dry. " You saw me die didn't you?"

Galadriel nodded, her eyes turned towards the floor. " Yes, but I could not see whether or not that would save us. It could be that your death would condemn us to a terrible fate and the world with it. Or it could save us, like I said, I am not sure."

Amy felt ice-cold. " So I may have to die to save your world?"

Her voice was thin and Galadriel sighed and tried to smile. " You have to understand that the mirror shows possible futures as well as the real one, the future is branched and the smallest choice made can change everything. So yes, it is a possibility but it is also possible that you will survive and live a happy life here."

Amy was glad she was sitting for her legs felt like jelly. " You know, I have faced some grim situations before. Once I was guiding a group and we got too close to a female bear and her cub, I was sure I was done for but she just turned and ran instead of attacking. And another time I almost got bitten by a copperhead. I have faced death but I have never seen it coming in advance. It is rather terrifying."

Galadriel just turned her head away, as if she was in pain. Amy stared at her, eyes wide and gaze strangely stern. " How did I die?"

Galadriel seemed to shrink in front of her. " I cannot tell you the details, it may change everything, or turn it into a prophecy that will ensure its own fulfillment."

Amy moaned. " So if you tell me it will in turn make it so? Then please keep it to yourself!"

Galadriel had a very sad expression upon her face. " I am so sorry child, I wish there was some other way. "

Amy sneered. " Well, so do I. I know I am going to die one day, after all, I am just a mortal, but I do prefer the idea of passing in my sleep, in my own bed."

Elrond grasped her shoulder in a comforting grasp. " Worry not Amy, for now, enjoy your days here and regain your strength. The danger is yet weeks away, much can happen in that time. "

Amy just shrugged " Heck yeah, we could be hit head on by an asteroid, or the black death could return with a vengeance. "

Elrond did look as if he didn't understand what she meant and Amy just shook his head. "Alright, I see what you mean. I will go visit the others now if it is alright."

Elrond smiled and Amy got up, she felt wobbly. " That is great. Franklin woke up this morning by the way, the servants have informed me that he is quite alright. A bit weak but he is on the road to recovery."

Amy felt relieved, she had worried about him and she hurried to leave the building but she soon felt light headed. Galadriel had seen her die, that was rather terrible. She clenched her teeth together, if that was what was needed to save everybody then be it, She had after all lived a good life hadn't she? No regrets? She leaned back against the wall and felt how her eyes seemed to fill up with tears. Don't cry, don't fucking cry, her inner voice was trembling too and she had to admit to herself that indeed there were regrets. She didn't want to break down there in open view so she ran into the nearest garden and sat down on a hammock next to a huge tree of some sort. She had never seen the species before but it was very lovely and she leaned against the trunk for a moment and started thinking of all the things she would miss if she was to say goodbye to this life for real. Heck, that was a very long list.

She remembered her old grandmother who had lived for ninety two years, she had always said that one ought to live each day as if it was the last for one did never know when or where the reaper was waiting to collect. Her grandmother had been right about that, so if Amy was to perish she was determined to enjoy whatever life she had left to the fullest. She had a list of things she wanted to do if she was to die soon, and so she guessed that she had to start working on it immediately. She wanted to get drunk again and party, she wanted to spend a night out in the open under the skies and well, it would have been nice to have gotten laid again if just once. She closed her eyes, she really had messed things up this time and she was afraid that this truly was it. Thousands of spiders? She would die of sheer terror before they even got close to her!

She felt tears running down her cheeks and wiped them away with an angry movement. This was no time to become a softie but she couldn't help it. She doubted that those wizards could change anything. She leaned back against the soft pillows of the hammock and sighed. She had always been to well behaved for her own good, and too dutiful too. But she had been raised in the good old way and her parents, bless them, had always taught her to do what was right. At least she had a purpose, not all could brag about that. She just sat there and listened to the birds singing and the sounds from the many waterfalls. There was one not far from the small garden and she listened to the sounds from it and felt how they calmed her down. The rivers would continue to run long after she was gone, that was a good thought, it was comforting.

She sat there and suddenly she frowned and tilted her head. That was no bird? Were there other large animals at large there? She had heard a sort of groan? Could there be some injured creature? She got up and walked towards the waterfall and she stopped behind a willow. There was a small pond underneath the waterfall, and a beach consisting of very nice white sand. It was probably a very popular site to go when one wanted to sneak away for some privacy and that was exactly what someone were doing.

Amy felt her cheeks burn red, she was about to turn around and return to the hammock when she recognized one of the persons down there. It was Lucy and she was very eagerly showing that she had to be amazing on horseback judging by her rhythm and body control. The ellon laying on his back underneath her was very handsome with long dark hair and a pale complexion. Well, most of the elves she had seen had been pale but this guy was pale as a cheese and he was rather lithe and not very muscular but very nice to look at nonetheless. Amy had to grin, alright, so Lucy had obviously decided to take advantage of the fact that the minstrel had a crush on her, it could not be anyone else for there was a lyre laying on the sand next to them and Amy guessed that he had been singing her cute ballads and then things had sort of escalated.

The minstrel was obviously enjoying himself for he was making a lot of noise, in fact so much Amy started to suspect that he was somehow exaggerating a bit, or perhaps he just was the very vocal type. Anyhow, he had both his hands firmly attached to Lucy's front area and the way she was moving there had to be some jiggling going on. Amy moved backwards away from the edge and grinned to herself, at least there was one of them who had some fun and enjoyed the stay there and she almost jumped when she heard a loud and very ecstatic scream from Lucy and then she heard a melodic voice joining her, damn it, they did sound great together. Their voices did really match.

Amy had a smug smile on her lips as she returned to the hammock, alright, so there was a huge chance that she wouldn't get out of this situation alive, and maybe everything would go to hell no matter what she did. But she could try right? There had to be something she could do to increase their chances?

The wizards were probably very smart and they would surely come up with something and then there had to be something with which they could contribute? They had skills and knowledge and she knew that coincidences sometimes can change everything. She chuckled and couldn't stop chuckling, she was so going to tease Lucy a bit when she met her again. And she would demand a full report on how that fair minstrel had performed, if Amy was to score with Elladan she wanted a heads up warning if she was entering dangerous territory. That was for certain!

Her mood had gotten way better so she got up and headed towards the main buildings, there were so many different houses there and yet they all had something in common, a sort of esthetic quality she never had encountered elsewhere. If the elven culture indeed was thousands of years old it was no wonder, everything had probably been brought to perfection through the centuries. She saw trees that had been shaped into incredible works of art and she knew that the technique required decades of patience from a human but to an elf it was probably no big deal. It had to be wonderful not having to worry about the passing of time. She visited the stables out of sheer curiosity, the horses she had seen when they witnessed the battle were amazing and she had been rather fond of riding when she was a kid. They had owned an old pony named Oliver and he had bucked people off with the ease of someone well used to it but everybody had loved him still.

She was in awe of the steeds she saw there, they were huge and elegant and reminded her of Spanish bred horses just taller and a bit lither in build. There were several elves working there and the stable was impeccable. Not a straw was left where it shouldn't be and the horses were shiny and healthy looking. She saw two gorgeous black stallions in the end of the building and headed their way, they looked bigger than the rest and appeared to be of a different breeding. There were names on the doors but the alphabet was one she couldn't read and she grasped an apple from a barrel and offered to one of the huge animals. The stallion elegantly picked it out of her hand and the other one neighed and shook his head jealously. Amy had to grin and reached for another apple and when she straightened herself up she stood face to face with Elladan.

She squealed and backed off a step and he sent her an apologetic grin and took her hand. " I am sorry if I startled you. "

Amy caught her breath. " Damn it, you elves ought to be wearing bells so we humble mortals can hear when you are near, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

Elladan looked shocked. " I didn't hurt you?! Please say you are alright?! "

Amy nodded. " Oh I am alright, just startled."

Elladan tried to smile. " I have come to inform you that Aiwendil have arrived, and he wants to meet you right away."

Amy tilted her head and did notice that Elladans eyes too seemed to drift downstairs from time to time, she pressed her chest out a wee bit, just to see if it would cause a reaction and damn it, it did. He was blushing and his gaze did flicker a bit. " Alright, you may lead the way. By the way, these two beauties, who do they belong to?"

Elladan smiled. "They belong to Elrohir and me, they are twins too, born of the same mare."

Amy had to grin. " Really? Well, that doesn't come as a surprise. "

Elladan nodded and started walking and she hurried to catch up, he had long legs and was very tall and she had some problems keeping up. They were heading for the top half of the city and they approached a sort of pavilion overlooking the valley with a small stream flowing around it. It was very pretty but apparently very old too. Amy had no idea of what she was to expect, she had seen wizards in movies and in books and they all looked like very serious men with or without beards but with pointy hats and a staff and usually they looked rather silly too. Elrond and Galadriel sat by a table and in front of them sat a rather small man clad in a way that suggested that he was somewhat of a vagabond. His coat had been repaired so many times there was hardly anything left of the original material, his west missed almost all its buttons, it was covered with dirt and spots and the man's pants and boots were ancient too. He wore a funny hat and he looked kind although rather confused.

The soft brown eyes were out of focus and he was sniveling. Amy cringed, that was really bird poop running down his cheek, and he did stink, a rough scent of unwashed body and old clothes. He looked like a walking disaster if she was to be honest. And this was a wizard? Elladan touched her shoulder gently. " I have brought her as you requested!

Elrond smiled and gestured for Amy to sit down next to him. " Ah, excellent, I hope you have had some time to enjoy the view here."

Amy managed to stay calm. " Oh yes, I did enjoy the view, a lot! Lots to look at here, so much…ah…lovely nature"

Galadriel cocked her head. " Aiwendil? This is Amy, the girl I told you about?"

Aiwendil jerked and lifted his head. " The girl? Oh yes, the girl from the other realm, yes, ah, let me see, now what is that buzzing sound, a moment…"

He lifted his hat and a small swarm of bees lifted off from his hair and scooted off, he made an apologetic grin. " They lost their hive you see, in a storm, and I couldn't let them remain homeless now could I?"

He put the hat back down, she had seen a birds nest there too, and something that could be a mouse burrowing through his hair. If not he had the worst and biggest lice infestation ever!

"Yes, back to business right, now come here young lady and let me have a look at you, unusual they say, let me see what I can make of that"

He seemed very kind, there wasn't anything dark within this creature at all and Amy felt safe with him. The old man grasped her hands with his own and she tried to ignore the smell of old food and the stains of egg on his vest. It looked as if he ate with all of his face, not just his mouth. At first nothing happened, Amy noticed that his hands were very soft and warm and pleasant to touch in spite of his lack of hygiene, she was contemplating asking if he knew what a bath was when he suddenly made a strange hollow sound and his eyes went wide with shock. He let go of her hands and backed away from her, visibly pale. Galadriel got up, stared at him and she looked very confused and nervous. " Aiwendil? What is wrong? What is it?"

The wizard shivered and shook his head. " She is something that shouldn't even exist, a relic of a time long gone, a ghost of a darkness once vanquished. "

Galadriel sat down again, slowly, Elrond looked shocked and Elladan had grown pale. Amy hoped that this didn't ruin her chances with him. " What are you talking about?"

Galadriel's voice was thin and strained and Aiwendil turned his face towards her and his expression was one of grief and apology. " She is the last one, the last of those the valar created to defeat Morgoth. The last lightbringer"


	8. What once was may yet return

Chapter eight: What once was may yet return

Everybody was staring at the wizard who had sat down in a chair with an expression that was peculiar to say the least. He seemed to be in utter shock and Galadriel frowned and leaned forth. Elrond seemed rather puzzled too but Amy did notice that Elladan had taken a step towards her, almost sub consciously, as if to protect her. That sort of moved her a bit, that he cared that much about her already. "I am afraid I have no clue about this, and I was born in Aman in the years of the trees damn it!"

Galadriel's voice was a bit ironic and Aiwendil did actually cringe a bit. "Ah, yes, I can explain, believe me I can, but I cannot explain how or why she is here? That is impossible!"

Amy felt her throat constricting once more, damn it, she was acting like some overly hormonal cry baby. She hated it when people were talking about her over her head. "So what in heck's name is a Lightbringer?!"

Aiwendil tilted his head, made an apologetic grin. " Oh pardon me miss, yes, a lightbringer, uh, how am I to explain this…"

He looked a bit sheepish to say the least. " The lightbringers were an experiment you see, one performed by some of the more powerful maiar, in secrecy. "

Galadriel scoffed. " Great, I almost feared that it was something my uncle would have conjured up, Eru alone knows what he was capable off."

Amy frowned in confusion and Elladan whispered into her ear. "Her uncle Fëanor created some jewels that brought naught but misery and death. She sort of blames him for it, still!"

Aiwendil shook his head vigorously. " No, this was all done by the maiar, we were afraid you see. Afraid that Morgoth would win, and what would happen then? We would be forced to serve him and none of us wanted that! We all remembered what happened to Mairon!"

Amy looked even more confused and Aiwendil shuddered and cringed at the same time. "Melkor seduced him you see, and turned him into his loyal servant. He is now known as Sauron."

Galadriel sighed. "You went against the will of the valar, and Eru?"

Aiwendil blinked a few times, he did look rather funny doing that. " No, oh no, we would never go against the will of Eru, absolutely not. He was in on it, but he didn't want the valar to know for they were…a bit too proud!"

Elrond scoffed this time, his face a study of confused emotions. "That is one way to describe them yes."

Aiwendil grinned. " Absolutely, Manwë would have ruined the whole plan you see, he always believed that Melkor could be saved somehow, that he could be rehabilitated and brought back to the light so to speak."

Amy tilted her head. " Uh, everybody? I am new to all of this, what are we talking about?"

Elrond took a deep breath. " Melkor, later known as Morgoth, was one of the valar, and the most powerful one, but he rebelled against the one and wanted to influence everything Eru had planned and twist it to fit his own ideals. The other valar fought him but hoped that they could make him see the errors of his ways."

Amy nodded. " They were too naïve right?"

Elrond nodded. " Indeed, when they finally captured Melkor and imprisoned him for ages they let him out when he claimed to be repentant and that he had turned his back to his former evil ways. "

She rolled her eyes. " And he lied? Why am I not shocked!"

Galadriel sent her a sad smile. " He tried to get the gems my uncle created and when that failed he stole them, killed our grandfather and killed the trees that gave light to Valinor. And then he fled back to Endor and continued as before."

Aiwendil sighed. " And that was where we sort of came into the plan. Eru knew that Melkor was lost to him and to everybody and he also knew that nobody would try to truly destroy him. Manwë and the others still hoped that he could be salvaged. So some of the maiar gathered and Eru helped us with the creation of the final weapon against the darkness."

Galadriel looked very nervous. " The lightbringers?"

Aiwendil nodded. " Yes, you are right. The lightbringers."

Elrond took a sip of wine, he did look nervous too. This was serious and he had a feeling of having uncovered something that ought to have been forgotten. Amy scowled at the wizard. "So, what am I then?"

Aiwendil sighed and he looked more confused than ever. " Ah, you see miss, that is a difficult question to answer. I wasn't there when the lightbringers were created for I was not one of the strong and powerful maiar. I was rather low ranking to tell the truth. But I do know this, the lightbringers were not like any other creatures. They were made directly from the very light of Eru but different from both valar and maiar. They didn't have a fana or a body, and they were just energy but a very pure form of energy. "

Amy made a grimace. " I am very substantial thank you, and a creature of light? Have you heard the kind of language I sometimes use?"

Aiwendil shrugged. "That matters not, the Lightbringers were good, that was their essence. And they were meant to sort of transform every creature they touched into their original form. The form intended for them by Eru."

Amy stared at Aiwendil, her eyes narrow. " They wanted to sort of brainwash that Melkor guy and his minions back to their former benign nature? Oh boy, I bet you failed!"

Aiwendil tilted his head. " Yes, we did, but, how do you know?"

Amy sighed and crossed her arms. " Because there can be no light without darkness, and no darkness without light. There has to be a balance, evil is also a force of nature remember? It cannot be denied or just forgotten."

The wizard stared at the table and he looked tired. " Eru had probably known that it would be in vain but he let us try nonetheless. And in the beginning it did some good, but then things went south rather fast."

Elrond looked a bit angry. " Why have we never been told of this?"

Aiwendil shrugged. " The valar found out and nobody was allowed to speak of it again, they feared that the eldar and the edain would start to doubt the powers of the valar if they were told of this…unfortunate chain of events"

Amy leaned forth, felt that Elladan moved and wished that she could hold his hand or something, just to have something real and substantial to grasp onto. " So, what happened?"

Aiwendil bit his lower lip. "We underestimated our enemy, completely! There were six lightbringers and they were overwhelmed completely and their pure light spent and drained. They tried to convert the minions of Morgoth until they themselves burned out and disappeared."

Amy felt confused. " But I am here, and you say I am one of them, how is that possible?"

Aiwendil shrugged and made a grimace. " I haven't got a clue dear, but I hope that Mithrandir may be able to explain this."

Amy felt dizzy, this was just unreal. She couldn't believe any of this. Galadriel got up and smiled but the smile was a stiff one. " Then let us hope that Mithrandir arrives soon, this has just created more questions I fear"

Elrond nodded. " Indeed it has."

Amy leaned her head onto her hands, closed her eyes. She felt a warm hand on her shoulders and turned her gaze to stare straight into a pair of very wolf like grey eyes that were filled with concern. " Listen, I am tired as…well, tired! And I think I need to rest."

Elladan turned to look at his father who just gestured. " Follow her to her room, and make sure she has everything she needs. I have to check the library and see if there is anything there that may shed some light over this mystery"

Amy got up, made a small curtsey before Galadriel and then Elladan escorted her back to her rooms. She felt like shit once more, her head ached and she has a bit of a belly ache too and felt depressed. Some sleep would do her well, if she was able to sleep at all. Elladan just stood there and stared at her and she sat down on the bed and didn't really know what to say. "Listen, I need to sleep, but I am not so sure I will be able to."

Elladan nodded. " You are worried and confused and I sense your fear too. "

He sat down next to her on the bed. " When I was an elfling and things made me feel bad my mother would always rub my bask and sing to me and that made me feel so much better."

Amy sort of sniggered. "Well, my mother is not here, but thanks for the advice."

He tilted his head. " I am here? I would be honored to help you?"

She bit her lower lip, she really didn't want to be alone, Lucy was probably still busy banging Lindir and the rest? She didn't really know them at all. " Alright then, but just backrubs and singing, nothing funny, understand?"

He looked confused but nodded. He made her lay down on her side and then he got onto the bed behind her and a strong hand started to caress her back and shoulders and by everything sacred did he have a good technique. Staying tense now was next to impossible and he was humming and singing all the time, some sweet and yet sad song about some elven lady and some guy named Beren. She didn't pay attention to the lyrics though, just to the melody and the deep soft voice. Amy relaxed completely and before long she was asleep.

Amy woke up with an odd sensation, the back of her head was warm! She frowned, it felt like warm air blowing at it? Oh crap, now she remembered. Elladan lay behind her, and it was his breath she felt tickling her scalp. She turned her head around slowly, he lay rather close to her and he had one hand on her hip and his eyes were open? She gasped and stared, his gaze unfocused and empty and for a second she feared he was dead until she heard that he was breathing slowly and steadily. He was asleep, with his eyes wide open! Holy wholegrain, that was creepy! Did all elves do that?

She felt a lot better though, almost normal but she still had a bit of an ache in her belly. She had to have eaten something funny for sure. Elladan sort of groaned and blinked and was wide awake, she blushed and tried to pretend that she hadn't been staring at him. " Did you sleep well?"

She nodded, yawned and felt her cheeks burn. "Like a log, ah, not to be rude, but does all elves sleep like that? With their eyes wide open?"

Her voice must have revealed the shock she felt for she saw that he smirked and he sat up and swung his long legs over so he was sitting on the edge of the bed once more. " Yes, to us that is natural. I always think that humans look dead when they sleep."

She stretched and felt that she could need something to drink, her mouth was bone dry. Elladan got up and walked over to the table by the door, someone had left a jug there and some cups and he poured some liquid into a cup and came back with it. "Here, you look as if you need this."

She grasped the cup, it was some sort of juice and it smelled great so she drank greedily. The taste was sweet and fruity and she found that she loved it. " It is made here in Imladris, from some berries that grow by the river. "

Amy sighed and stared at the cup, she wanted more right away. " We have berries where I am from too, many types of berries, but this tasted better than any of them. "

Elladan grinned, a wide and somewhat proud grin. " Then you have to try the fruits we grow here, they are delicious."

She got up and grimaced, hell, her belly did feel far from good. What the … Then it struck her and she sent him a rather pale grin and raced towards the door. " Pardon me, I just need to use the bathroom for a minute!"

He followed her over to the door, looked worried. "Are you alright?"

Amy felt frantic, she sat down on the seat of the privy and used some of the soft pressed moss material to check and sure enough, aunt Flo was visiting. No wonder she was aching, she usually ate painkillers like a kid eats candy when those days came. But that wasn't the real problem, she only bled for three days but she would tear through a box of tampons and a packet of pads in that time and she had none there! Heck heck double heck!

Elladan knocked on the door. " Amy? Is anything wrong? Should I get ada?"

Amy squeaked. Elrond?! She'd rather go on a date with Darth Vader than having that noble and kind lord coming over just for such a tiny problem. Wait a minute, did elven females have periods? If they didn't she was screwed, seriously and utterly in deep shit. " No, absolutely not, don't you dare!"

Elladan sounded worried. " Amy? Are you alright? You sound as if you are in a lot of distress!"

She snorted. "I am, but…oh for heaven's sake, I need a female here, could you get Niriel? Please?"

Elladan went quiet for a moment. " A female? Why? Ada is the best healer there is?"

Amy could have sworn she looked like a boiled lobster. " Uh, I am not ill Elladan, it is…a small female problem…Just get Niriel?"

He sighed and she heard his voice close to the door. " Okay, I'll go get her. "

Amy let out a sigh of relief and swore to herself. She had forgotten all about such things, but when she thought about it there was nothing wrong at all. She had just forgotten to count the days. She didn't have to wait for long, there was a soft knock on the door and Niriel entered, she looked confused. "Elladan said you seemed upset, about a female problem?"

Amy nodded and felt her face turn beet red once more. " Uh, yes, it is my…monthly cycle, do you ellith have that?"

Niriel looked confused for a moment, then she obviously understood. " Oh, that! No, we do not bleed each month like you mortals do, but I do know what you mean yes."

Amy let out a huge sigh of relief and felt like hugging the tall blonde." Thank goodness. I have nothing of the…things…I use here and I have to get something. I can't go around leaving bloody stains everywhere!"

Niriel sort of giggled. " No, that would be rather bad."

Amy tilted her head. " So you ellith don't have a monthly cycle?"

Niriel shook her head. " No, or rather, we do, but only for a short time. When our bodies mature we too bleed a little each month but when we are fully developed it stops and then we will only bleed if we wish to start reproducing."

Amy growled. " I have said it before and I am saying it yet again, you are so goddamn lucky!"

Niriel smiled, a genuine smile. " When you say so, but are you in pain?"

Amy nodded. " My cramps are pretty bad already yes, so I think I will need something for them, and like I said, some sort of…help"

Niriel got up and nodded. " I will be back in a few minutes, worry not."

The elf disappeared and Amy felt miserable. Great, she had such grand plans for seducing Elladan and now she was on the rag, wonderful. She could just hope that she would be done with it before she met a sticky end. If she had to die without getting some first she would haunt this place for all eternity, as a vengeful horny ghost. The mental image made her chuckle and she felt a little better right away. Niriel returned with a basked in her arms, it contained what Amy only could describe as the sort of knickers her grandmother had been wearing and numerous small pieces of cloth that looked suspiciously like the diapers they used in the old days. They were made from soft fabric and were clean and smelled of flowers but she realized that she would feel rather clumsy with them on.

Niriel nodded and her eyes glittered. " Leave the used ones in the small basket by the privy, they will be washed and prepared for use several times."

Amy cringed, washing used pads? That had to be the most terrible job ever! Niriel must have understood what she was thinking for she just smiled. " Worry not, those who do the laundry here do wash the things coming from the healing ward too, bloody bandages, clothes filled with blood and puss, diapers, you name it!"

Amy rolled her eyes. " Thank you dear, that made me feel so much better!"

Niriel pulled a small flask out of her pocket. " Here, try this. It will make the pain easier to deal with."

Amy uncorked it and sniffed, it had a very potent smell and it stunk her nose. " One drop in a cup of water three times a day."

Amy groaned. " Right, hand me that cup over there, if this tastes as bad as it smells I won't be able to swallow it with just water."

Niriel poured some more juice and Amy added one drop to it and down it went, although with a cough and a grimace. " If this doesn't work I am seriously gonna sue the one who made it for causing emotional trauma"

Niriel just looked very confused so Amy decided to just smile. " Alright, so, what am I to do now?"

Niriel tilted her head. " I could let you meet the others? We were interrupted when Elladan came for you remember?"

Amy nodded. " Yes, yes we were. Where did he go by the way?"

She tried to sound as nonchalant as she could but Niriel sort of called her bluff right away. "He went to train with his brother and Glorfindel, he will be back soon though."

Amy wished she could be more like some of her co-workers back home who never blushed and had perfect poker faces. This was just pathetic. "That is…great!"

Niriel waited outside for Amy to get the panties and the pads on and then they went towards the healing ward. Amy felt a bit nervous, she hadn't seen any of the others for days and she was worried that they would blame her for the whole misery they were in. Amy did spot Franklin right away, he was sitting on the edge of a bed and a very pretty elleth was sitting by his side and she obviously tried to show him how to braid leather cords to cover sword hilts. He was so focused upon the pattern and the nimble fingers that did the work he didn't notice the new arrivals at all. Amy had to hawk to catch his attention and he jerked and blinked and stared at her. " Amy?! Is that you? You look like…a lady!"

Amy crossed her arms in front of her chest. " And I didn't before?"

He cringed. " Oh, you did, I mean…heck, you were a bit…masculine, that is all"

Amy sighed, of course he was right, in a rangers uniform and with her hair hid underneath her hat she wasn't exactly the essence of femininity. The contrast to her current state couldn't have been greater. But she did notice that Franklin looked great, he was obviously on the way to recovery and the way he looked at that elleth sitting by his side was rather endearing. "You are doing well I see?"

Franklin blushed and nodded. " I am, they have patched me back together pretty well, tomorrow I can leave this place, to be honest I am bored right out of my skull but that healer of theirs is a pretty stern guy so I guess I have to obey, although I cannot understand a syllable of what he is saying."

Amy had to giggle. " I see, yes, he is pretty stern but he means well. Worry not, you are safe here, and they will take good care of you"

Franklin sighed and looked at her with curiosity. " Are these people really elves? "

Amy nodded. " They are, and they are immortal and eternally youthful so the miss next to you could be several millennia old and still be regarded as a youth."

Franklin cringed. " What? Oh hell, that is…discouraging. I sort of like this one"

He whispered the last words and the elleth must have understood at least some of it for she blushed ever so slightly and giggled. " Don't think of her age in years Franklin, that means nothing here. If you like her go for it"

He frowned and shrugged. " I have no idea of how I should proceed, I mean, they have rules and customs too right? What if I do screw up big time?"

Amy patted him on his back. " I don't think you will. Ease up, you will learn."

Franklin stared at her and his eyes got narrow. " Ah, Lucy said something about you …being a bit different? Where is she by the way?"

Amy felt her face turn a bit stiff. " Lucy is…occupied, I am sure she will return soon. Yes, apparently I am some sort of ancient spirit cloaked in flesh, otherwise I am fine, almost. Is there more you want to know?"

Franklin just gaped and Amy smiled sweetly and turned around. " And now I plan on visiting Mrs Southall, if there is anything you need just let me know, I speak their language now and can communicate."

Franklin just stared as she walked out of the room followed by the tall blonde she elf who had escorted her in. Amy wasn't the same person, he could feel it. She had changed somehow. Well, they all had changed, anything else would be a miracle considering their situation but she more than the rest. It showed in her attitude, in her eyes and the way she moved. She looked a lot more like these natives than an ordinary woman and Franklin was getting curious. If there was a way to discover what this was all about he would, his instincts told him it could be important.

Amy walked towards the buildings where the children had been given rooms and Niriel showed her the way to the small apartment Mrs Southall had been given. There were still servants present there at all times and Elrond did visit the grieving woman every day. Niriel knocked on the door and one of the servants opened. It was a young ellon of medium height and he looked very kind and friendly and Amy was told his name was Norolion and that he was the son of the local baker.

Mrs Southall sat in the small living room with her two remaining daughters and she did look a lot better but Amy did see that she was thin and there were shadows underneath her eyes. But her feet had healed and she was helping the girls making drawings on some sheets of parchment as Amy entered. She looked up and smiled, it was a somewhat timid smile, as if the woman wasn't really sure of what to think of it all. Amy waited and Mrs Southall got up and brushed off her skirt. She had gotten a very nice dress made from velvet in a deep plum color and it was really nice on her. Amy swallowed, what do you say to someone who has just lost a child and a stepson? My condolences? Mrs Southall looked a bit confused. " Amy, you look…you look almost as if you belong here!"

Amy tilted her head, why did everybody think that? " Ah, I guess I am adjusting yes, how are you?"

Mrs Southall sighed and sat down in a chair, her eyes were dark. " You know, that my husband got killed is maybe the best that could have happened, it may sound terrible but it is true. But losing my little one, no, I would have brought him back if that meant that my daughter too would return to me."

Amy nodded. " It isn't terrible, far from it. I understand. He was a real tyrant wasn't he?"

The woman nodded, supported her chin in her hands. " Yes, and I was so in love with him at first, and that hurts like hell now. Knowing I didn't see he warning signs before it was too late."

Amy sat down too, she knew that Mrs Southall really had a hard time ahead of her, accepting everything. " Be glad he isn't here, and that he can't hurt you anymore, nor your children."

Mrs Southall sniffed. " I know, but it doesn't make the grief any less. But how are you faring? I see you look rather well now, and you speak their language?"

Amy nodded. " I do, I got a very quick course in Sindarin you might say. "

Mrs Southall swallowed. " They are so nice, so friendly. The girls love them already and they think that we have ended up in fairy land or something like that. "

Amy just smiled. " It is no fairy land, it is very real. But it has its dangers and they are nothing to joke about. I can tell you that. I can promise you that you all are safe here in this valley."

Amy just hoped that she wasn't telling a huge fat lie now. Mrs Southall sent her a pale smile. " There is no returning to our world now is there? No way back?"

Amy shook her head. " No, there isn't. I am sorry!"

The woman bit her lower lip. " You know what? In a way I am almost happy about that, this place seems so…natural. I have worried about my girls you know, the pressure, the constant scrutiny of others. Being compared with everybody else all the time, never being quite good enough. I bet there is nothing of that here."

Amy sent her a genuine smile. " No, there aren't. Here you will be accepted as the person you are, your looks are irrelevant."

Mrs Southall sighed with relief. "That is wonderful, back home I could go an entire day without food fearing I would put on weight, but here I feel free."

Amy winked at her. " You are, truly! And a small piece of advice, the male elves are just like all other males, they love curves!"

Mrs Southall blushed and looked like a teenage girl with a serious crush. " Really? Well, that handsome healer, is he married?"

Amy managed not to laugh but she knew that she was blushing too. " Uh, well, his wife left him so he is still married and here they take that pretty seriously. But believe me, there are plenty other fish in this pond."

Mrs Southall blinked and nodded, her eyes a bit distant. Amy got up and saw that the girls were making drawings of the dresses they had seen the ellith wear, girls would be girls wherever they are. She bid Mrs Southall goodbye and Niriel took her to the other survivors. Right now they were sitting in a circle around an elf who was teaching them how to weave baskets. The elleth was a master at it and some of the kids were very eager to learn and sat there with their eyes focused upon the work. The teenage girl and James and Eva sat in a group of their own trying to stitch some leather together, Amy had no idea of what it was supposed to look like. James saw her and got up, eyes shining with enthusiasm. " Miss Amy, look!"

He held the leather up and she frowned. "What the heck is that"

She stared at the strange creation and suddenly she realized what it was, a very crude version of Darth Vader.s black suit. James almost giggled. " I have managed to convince the blacksmith of the necessity of making a mask too. We are to have a play!"

Amy almost rolled her eyes. " Let me guess, you are about to show the elves your version of Star Wars?!"

James nodded and Eva got up, she was wearing a white gown and she was braiding what had to be horse hair into two buns, she was obviously going to play the part of Leia. " Are you sure that is a good idea? They won't understand a single word you are saying?"

Eva just grinned and the last girl lifted a piece of cloth, it was embroidered with yellow and red and blue dots and she didn't understand what it was until she saw that it of course was going to be that small round droid. " Some things are universal, and we are good at acting. We have tried many times already, it is going to be great!"

Amy was glad the kids had found something to do, but she was still a wee bit in doubt. "That is a table cloth, with buttons on it?"

The girl nodded. " We will use a barrel, and one of the smallest kids have agreed to sit in it. And that tall lanky kid over there will be wearing some armor. "

Amy had to grin. " I am glad to see that you have adapted so well, I bet your play will be a whooping success. "

James grinned so widely she could count his molars. " Yes, and we have learned so much just by watching, and this place is awesome! I mean it, no technology but they manage still. "

Amy chuckled. " Yes, it is rather amazing."

The girl cocked her head. " I am glad that you are okay again miss Amy, I heard them tell you got hurt trying to save one of those two boys. "

Amy felt a little embarrassed. " Oh that, that was nothing, just my duty. Let me know when you are to show us the end result, I wouldn't miss it for all the world."

James almost saluted her. " Will do!"

Niriel had been silent the whole time and she stared at the costumes and everything with narrow eyes. " What are those kids doing?"

Amy snickered. " Oh, they are making a theatrical play out of a…well known legend from our world. It is very entertaining."

Niriel lightened up. " How exciting, what is it about?"

Amy had to grin, having to explain star wars to an elf from a completely alien world, well, why the heck not!

"It is about a brave young knight who has to fight a terrible evil with the help of some friends and some ancient magical force."

Niriel tilted her head. "That sounds like the kind of stuff the elflings will love, I hope it isn't too scary?"

Amy snickered again. " Fear not, it is quite alright. I don't think they will be able to frighten anyone with the stuff they are making."

Niriel nodded. " Alright, now, are you feeling hungry?"

Amy took a second to determine whether or not her stomach needed a refill and she decided that yes, it did! " Some food would be nice yes."

They took off and went to the great hall and as always there were elves sitting there eating, chatting or just hanging out. Amy had sort of realized that there were many different occupations represented there. She could see it now by the things the elves wore or their equipment. Two ellyn who sat close to the fireplace had to be smiths, for they wore thick leather aprons and leather hoods to protect their hair. And another elf sitting with some ellith had smudges of green on his clothes so he was probably a gardener and she saw carpenters and cattle herders and just about every thinkable job imaginable. Two ellith sat on their own away from the others and Niriel grinned and smiled. "They tan leathers, that stinks so they have to bathe to get rid of it."

Amy nodded. " I know that is smelly yes."

To her astonishment Lucy was sitting by one of the benches and Lindir was there too, he was staring at her like he had had an epiphany and Niriel giggled. " Look who's in love, I bet there will be an official wedding rather soon."

Lucy was also oblivious to the rest of the world so Amy sort of sneaked up behind her and smacked her across her backside with a shout. " Wake up wake up, the Indians are coming!"

Lucy shrieked and jumped and then she turned around and made a dreadful grimace. " Amy?! If you do that once more I will…Oh you almost….you….brat!"

Amy sat down and Lindir blushed, he was really pretty, almost too pretty for Amy's taste. "I am older than you so no brat thank you very much, now, how have you been since the last time we spoke?"

Amy managed to sound as if she was completely innocent and didn't have a clue about what Lucy had been doing and the girl grinned and looked a bit nervous. " Uh, hanging around I guess, having some…fun. "

Amy smiled and stared at Lindir. " I see you have found a friend? "

Lucy nodded and blushed and her eyes said it all. " Ah, yes, Amy, this is Lindir, he is a singer!"

Amy felt a bit mischievous, she sent the dark haired ellon her sweetest smile. " Hello, pleased to meet you, I bet the two of you would sound great together, I am sure Lucy loves to sing, am I not right?"

Lucy just cringed and made a weird grimace, she leaned towards Amy and whispered to her. "Ah, when I said fun I meant real F.U,N!"

Amy squeezed her eyes until they were narrow and stared at the girl. " I am afraid I don't follow you?"

Lucy bit her lower lip. " Alright, we have been dancing? Horizontally? "

Amy shrugged. " Tango?"

Lucy looked desperate. " Ah for Pete's sake, we did the F word!"

Amy leaned back, looking shocked. " Lucy, did you teach Lindir to swear?!"

Lucy was beet red by now and shaking all over, Amy had a hard time staying serious. " I mean, that is really not nice of you, these elves shouldn't be taught the less than pretty parts of our language first."

Lucy hissed. " Alright, alright, I slept with him, get it? We did the naughty, humped, made love, we fucked like wild bunnies for crying out loud!"

Amy had to giggle. " Oh you ought to see yourself, you look like you have used red lipstick all over your face. Of course I know you screwed him Lucy, heck, I heard you both, I was in the garden above the waterfall you had your little get together beneath. It was close to impossible not to notice that you were having a good time!"

Lucy went pale and red and pale again. " Oh sweet bjeezes, you did?! Crap! Oh now I am embarrassed."

Amy petted her on the back. " Don't be, I am really happy for the both of you, congratulations."

Lucy made a sort of wincing movement. " Ah, that…there is a thing I need to ask you about, and I can't speak their language yet. "

Amy nodded. " Shoot!"

Lucy leaned over and whispered once more. " You shouldn't happen to have any condoms? Or birth control pills? I am a wee bit worried you see…"

Amy giggled. " You don't need to be, elves are a little bit different from us, both have to agree upon conceiving a child for anything to happen. "

Lucy looked a bit slack jawed. " Really? Oh goddamn I am envious. So I won't have to worry about getting knocked up, that is wonderful."

Amy nodded. " Yes, so, how was he?"

She spoke English so the elves didn't understand and Lucy blushed like a bride and whispered. " Un-fucking-believable! I can barely walk and I am sore as shit, but I don't freaking care! It was earth shaking!"

Amy giggled. " Yep, I could definitely hear an earthquake, were you imitating animals in rut? You have got good lungs girl, and so does he!"

Lucy was about to answer when the door opened and the twins entered followed by Glorfindel. He said something and the two identical ellyn walked over to where Amy and Lucy sat and they said something to Lindir that Amy didn't quite catch but it made Lindir turn red like a cherry and he sort of made a very sheepish grin. Elladan sat down next to Amy and he shouted at the serving maid and told her to get them some more food and some drink. He saw the smiling faces and tilted his head. " Telling funny stories?"

Amy winced. " Uh, sort of yes, just…some gossip"

Elladan smiled and Elrohir laughed. " I see, plenty of that around these parts these days. "

Amy wanted to let Lucy have some time to regain her composure so she leaned forward and smiled at Elladan. " Really, are there things happening here worthy of gossip? This place seems so peaceful"

Elladan snickered and pointed at a very tall black haired elf in very nice dark robes. He looked very dignified. " Do you see that ellon? That is Erestor, my ada's counsellor, according to him Imladris is a war zone"

Amy didn't understand. " What? Why?"

Elrohir put up a very proud expression. " Because of us Amy, because of us, and our outstanding knowledge of how to perform the most exquisite pranks known throughout the ages of Arda."

Amy gasped, " You are pranking him?!"

Glorfindel had sat down on the other side of the table and he made a grimace. " Him, and everybody else within this valley too. I will never forget that time they poured a strong laxative into the punch bowl at a wedding, or the time they put dye in my shampoo and turned my hair purple for a week, or the time you went through the entire library one night and rearranged it to such a degree that Erestor used a month to get the books back in order. That time I did see a grown ellon cry!"

Amy suddenly found this more fascinating than even Lucy's vigorous love life. " Really, tell me more"

Elladan and Elrohir sat there and both looked rather proud and at the same time bothered. Very bothered.

At the same time a tall cloaked figure was fighting his way through a dense thicket made from bushes and unfortunately those bushes had thorns, hundreds of them. He swore and cursed and held his staff high and pushed forth through the undergrowth. He had been summoned by the lady and she had told him a lot but not all, he could sense that. There was more to this than what the eye could see and on his way he had sensed something that had caused him to veer off course. It was magic, a very strong aura of power that made the very air hum and vibrate and he had to investigate. Now he was in the hills north of Imladris not far from the pass and he had followed the feeling for days.

He finally made it through the thicket and stared down at a small clearing, it was covered with flowers and looked rather nice but he sensed that something was amiss. There was a buzzing sound and he clenched his jaw and placed a crystal within the top of his staff. Then he shouted some ancient words of command and a weird and eerie silence seemed to fall over the forest. Something was there, most certainly. He held the staff high, shouted again and for a swift moment he saw something, insubstantial and distant but he knew it, he recognized this and he gasped for air and backed off a few steps. The clearing returned to it's normal state but he wouldn't let himself be fooled by this. He had to get to Imladris and he had to warn them. He ran back to where his horse was hidden and kicked it into a gallop the moment he was in the saddle. He had to get there in time.


	9. From kisses to mayhem

Chapter nine: From kisses to mayhem…

Amy felt as if she had found new friends, this reminded her of her days at college when she had been a part of a small group of very close friends. Now she had lost contact with most of them but she did sometimes receive a phone call from some of them or a letter. She guessed that life had gotten in the way for all of them. And now, now none of them would ever know what had happened to her. Everybody would believe that she had gotten incinerated when the volcano erupted. It was not a very funny thought so she chose to ignore it.

The twins were telling them stories and as the number of glasses consumed increased the number of rather rambunctious stories did too. The atmosphere was very light and Amy was teasing Lucy without mercy, she enjoyed watching the girl squirm. But Amy stopped drinking as soon as she felt more than a little tipsy. She never drank until she got really intoxicated except on very rare occasions and even if the elven wine was delicious she stopped drinking rather early. The rest of the hall was almost empty now and the sun had sunk beneath the horizon.

Elladan had sort of gotten closer and closer to her during the evening, now he was sitting next to her and tried to teach her some sort of elvish game which included some small sticks and some strange dice. She didn't manage to understand the point of it no matter how hard he tried to explain the details. Elrohir sat there speaking with Glorfindel and Lucy and Lindir were engaged in a very deep conversation which included some rather acrobatic use of tongue and tonsils. Amy almost blushed when she saw it and she was glad the kids weren't there. Elladan sighed. " I do not think you are even trying to learn this, your mind is somewhere else Amy"

She nodded, put down the cup with juice and rubbed her temples. She felt stressed out and unwell. The concoction she had gotten from Niriel had helped ease her cramps but she still felt tender and a bit irritated. Great, PMS was such a wonderful thing to have. " I am worried, that is all."

Elladan caressed her hand, his eyes were so freaking clear, so deep. It didn't look natural but she had gotten used to it by now. "I am sure Mithrandir will be here soon, then we will know more. Until then, do not think of it. "

She took a deep breath. " Easier said than done, what if your grandmother's visions are true? Then I will have to die to save you all!"

Elladan got a shocked expression upon his face. " That isn't true, I won't let that happen to you, never. "

She stared at him, straight in the eye. " That may not be something you will be able to prevent at all."

He leaned forth and kissed her hand, it was such an old fashioned gesture and it made her blush. " I will protect you nevertheless. This I swear."

She just stared at the table, feeling depressed and he continued to caress her hand. "Enough of that now Amy, I would like to know more about you."

She sighed. " Alright, like what?"

He shrugged. " Everything really? Do you have siblings? Are your parents alive?"

Amy made a grimace. " Ah, well, the first one is easy, no siblings, at least that I know of. The second one is…complicated."

He tilted his head and looked confused. " How? Don't you know if your parents are alive?"

She shrugged and took yet another deep breath. " Okay, this is messy but here goes, you see, the man I called dad wasn't really my father. My mom was pregnant when she met him and he married her and agreed upon raising me as if I really was his daughter. Mom didn't tell me until he died."

Elladan looked a bit shocked. " That was noble of him but didn't your mother tell you who your real father was then?"

She shook her head. " Nope, she never mentioned him with a word, even when I was asking and nagging and pleading. I guess I gave up, but I was sort of glad I had a real dad somewhere."

He stared at her, curiosity burning in his eyes. "You were?"

She crossed her arms, tried to smile. "Oh I was, at least when he died. He was a nice guy you see, for many years. But when I was about twelve he was in an accident and got injured and he started to drink to ease the pain and to forget that he no longer was able to work as much as before and well, it changed him and not for the better, I can tell you that for sure. "

Elladan nodded slowly. " Every man can become a beast with a belly full of wine"

Amy frowned and sighed " If it had been only wine, he drank anything with alcohol in it at the end, even things not meant for human consumption. That he died was no wonder, he was poisoned by all the shit he had ingested."

Elladan looked at her with compassion within his eyes. " I am sorry to hear that."

Amy shrugged and stared at her empty cup, one of the reasons why she never drank much was her step father, she refused to end up the way he had. "Don't be, I moved out when I was eighteen and then I was studying for some years and I didn't have that much contact with him the last years before he died."

Elladan tilted his head and there was compassion in his eyes, but also a strange sort of confusion. "I would never have thought it was possible for families to be torn apart thus, but apparently it is rather normal among humans."

She nodded. "It is unfortunately, and I think that in my world it is almost normal some places. People go ahead and get married and have kids and then they discover that they in truth hate each other."

The elf scoffed and looked shocked. "I am glad I am an elf then, we do not make mistakes when we chose our mates."

Amy leaned her chin onto her hand, stared at him with narrow eyes. " Never? Is that true?"

He nodded and took a sip of his wine. " That is right, we just know when we meet the one we are destined to be with, it is instinct I guess."

Amy sighed and stared at Lucy and Lindir, they seemed to have taken a genuine liking to each other and she was in fact a wee bit jealous. "That has to be great, I mean, no doubt right? No wondering if you will wake up one morning and find that you are married to a complete bitch."

Elladan frowned. " Bitch?"

Amy nodded. "That is what they call a woman who is not very nice back where I am from."

The elf sort of shrugged. "It is not very nice though, in fact not nice at all. We would never be that rude towards a female."

Amy had to giggle. " Well, you guys are becoming more and more alike the old ideal I think, chivalrous, polite and well behaved."

Elladan smirked. " We are usually raising our children to show respect. But back to you Amy, you have no clue about who your father is?"

She shook her head, thinking about it. Few knew that Robert hadn't been her biological dad, after all she had the same dark hair as him and the same pointed chin so everybody had sort of automatically assumed that yes, he was her dad. " Well, there was this one time…"

Elladan's eyes got narrow, he held her hand gently and she felt a bit nervous. " Yes?"

She swallowed. " My aunt came to us once, when I was seven I think. It was Christmas and she got drunk and started talking about the days when mom went missing, and that someone had seen this very tall figure sneaking around the village. Mom got furious and told my aunt to shut the fuck up"

Elladan looked puzzled. " Your mother went missing?"

Amy nodded, she drank the last of her juice and cringed, it had gotten warm. "Yep, but everybody refused to even mention it. Some think she got abducted by some madman and managed to escape just in the nick of time. That happens a lot I am afraid."

The elf cringed. "Your world seems to be rather violent Amy."

She scoffed, put away her cup. "Oh you have no idea, the orcs you are fighting are dangerous but nothing compared to some of the nutheads back home."

He leaned forth and caught her gaze. "Well. I am glad you made it here, I am enjoying getting to know you Amy"

She had to blush, didn't really know what to say." Uh, likewise."

Elrohir got up and left the room with Glorfindel and Amy stared at them. "So, you are twins right? Are you close?"

He nodded and smiled gently. "Yes, we are very close, elven twins always are, we are as one really. Some think it is a bad thing, that something have gone wrong and that we have only half a soul each but that is superstition."

Amy had to smile again, in some ways this world was rather old fashioned in spite of its magic. " I have never been that close to anyone, I guess it would freak me out."

Elladan just made a vague gesture. "If you are born with a twin there is not choice, you just…well, there is no other way imaginable."

Amy cocked her head, stared at him. " You are not exactly identical though, your personalities are a bit different. You are more…boisterous than Elrohir"

Elladan laughed." You have noticed ha? Yes, I am the troublemaker you might say, the one starting the mischief and then my brother sort of takes it to the next level. It has always been that way."

She smiled, it was obvious that the two shared something special. " You have a sister too?"

He nodded. " Yes, she is in Lothlorien now, with grandfather. She didn't want to follow grandmother back here for he had promised to teach her how to fence. She is really a sweet young elleth and we all love her a lot but she is stubborn and knows exactly what she wants. She can spin ada around her little finger just like that!"

Amy grinned. "Glad to hear that such things can happen to elven parents too."

Elladan caressed her hand. "I think both ada and grandmother got very confused when you showed up, and the deaths did impact ada a lot. He have seen too much of it and he is afraid darkness will descend upon us again. "

Amy made a grimace. " So, I understand that, I just hope I won't be the cause for it. "

He shook his head. " Do not think that you can cause any such thing Amy, your heart is pure, never let anyone convince you of anything else."

She blushed again, damn, that elf was shaking her up really bad. " I will try to remember that."

Elladan looked down into the table. "There is one thing that bothers ada, since we have some mortal blood we will have to one day make a choice of whether we will become completely of the eldar or become human and then grow old and eventually die. I know Elrohir will chose to be fully elf but I haven't made my choice yet, and ada is nervous. Arwen is too young yet to think of it but we brothers are soon at the right age."

Amy found that a bit hard to understand but she looked at him. " You cannot seriously even think of choosing to become human? That would be…horrible!"

Elladan just shrugged. "Maybe, ada's own brother chose the fate of the mortal, and ada still misses him so…time will show"

Elladan got up, he put down his cup and grinned. " Care for some fresh air?"

She got up too and discovered that she had been drinking more than she originally believed. Her legs were shaking and she felt a bit dizzy. "Sure, sounds like a great idea."

He took her hand again and they walked out of the hall, Lucy was still busy with her tongue gymnastics with Lindir and didn't notice and Amy breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want Lucy seeing her leave with Elladan, the questions she would be faced with would be rather explicit They walked down some stairs into a rather secluded garden, it was very lovely with huge flowers and bushes and some small statues and Amy sort of felt that this was a special place for some reason. "This is so pretty, what is this place?"

Elladan smiled, a swift and sad smile. " It used to be my mother's garden. She loved it a lot so ada keeps it the way it was in her honor"

Amy swallowed. " Oh, I…I am sorry."

Elladan just shook his head. " Don't be, it was a long time ago now, we have gotten used to it sort of."

Amy sat down upon a bench, rather gingerly. She was afraid to ruin anything or say something stupid. "What happened to your mother? "

He sighed and sat down next to her. "She and her entourage was on the way home from Lothlorien when they were ambushed by orcs. We found her alive but she was badly injured both in hroa and fëa and so she chose to sail. Ada couldn't heal her."

Amy swallowed hard, she couldn't imagine the sort of grief that had to unleash. She sort of understood that elves cared more deeply about their beloved ones than humans. "That is tragic"

He sort of grimaced. "Yes, but she is safe now, in Aman. Nothing will hurt her again."

Amy didn't know what to say, she just stared at the lovely roses growing by the bench and he reached out and picked one rose of the bush, put it into her hair behind her ear. Amy had to blush again, it was such a sweet gesture and yet she sort of understood that it meant something special. "Thank you, that was very sweet of you"

He leaned forth and his fingers slid through her hair, slowly. She held her breath, uh-oh, what was this? She could see that his eyes had gotten a bit darker and she suddenly realized that elves probably were a bit more passionate than humans. There was a possibility that she may regret this soon. He closed the distance between them and suddenly he was kissing her, a very soft and gentle kiss that made her gasp and put her own arms up just by sheer instinct. His hair was like silk against her skin, she bet any hairdresser would die to get a hand on the shampoo they made there. The kiss made her toes curl up, made her heart start beating in a whole new rhythm and she had never believed that anyone could make her feel that much just with a kiss. It was insane.

He nipped at her lower lip and she hesitantly opened her mouth, gasping when she felt his tongue starting to explore and caress. Damnation, she was becoming Lucy! And she was becoming rather aroused too but she couldn't act upon it, not now. Not for at least a couple more days, oh she was ready to curse the day God invented periods. As a friend of hers once had said, menstruation is a bloody waste of fucking time. Elladan had grasped onto her, pulled her close, strong hands were trying to find a way in underneath her tunic and he was busy kissing and licking her neck. Holy heck, oh he was good, so good at it and she knew that she had to stop him now before it got too awkward.

She could hear him breathing harder and she started to believe that he would go all the way, right there and then, in a garden where anyone with eyes could see them. She wasn't up for that, no way. If she was to bed this gorgeous piece of elven masculinity she would most definitely do that in private, thank you very much! She managed to let out a small squeak and he lifted his head, stared at her with wide and almost completely black eyes. " I am sorry, have I gone too far? I haven t hurt you?"

There was concern in his voice and she was trembling all over, goddamnit,. She hadn't really believed that she could get that horny while being on the rag, she was burning up! She had to have become a hormonal mess for sure. " No, not at all, I…I just…"

There was a glimpse of despair in his eyes, of a sort of desperate fear she didn't understand. "Don't you want this?"

His voice was trembling and she frowned, how desperate was he really? Didn't the ellith want to bed him? " No, ah, it isn't that, just, not here!"

He let out a huge sigh, his smile returned with the sparkle in his eyes. "Then let's go to your rooms, I.."

She interrupted. " Not now, please, you will have to wait for a couple of days. I…I can't…sleep with you right now alright. I…I have my…monthly curse? It isn't that I don't want to for geez you turn me on like…like…oh Eru, I could have climbed all over you but as I said, we have to wait."

He blinked, a bit confused and then it dawned upon him. " Oh, ah, well, I know what you speak of, there have been humans living here before. But, uh, you cannot make love while…that goes on?"

Amy just knew it, her face was even redder than the rose in her hair, she was sitting in a gorgeous garden with an even more gorgeous elf and tried to explain about periods, that had to be a straight 9.9 on the embarrassment scale. " It isn't that I can't physically, it is just…oh Eru, I am hurting alright? And I do not exactly feel fresh and clean and all that stuff, and besides, it is a horrible mess! Trying to fuck whilst on the rag is comparable with bathing in a tub filled with blood, it gets everywhere!"

He bit his lip. "But you will be done with it in a couple of days right?"

She nodded." Hopefully yes, if coming here haven't messed up my cycle."

He groaned, almost just to himself. "Two days, I can wait for two days, I think!"

She tilted her head. "Are you that…uh…affected?"

He let out a small groan and took her hand, held it against his chest and she felt his heart beat, hard and in a rapid rhythm. "You do things to me Amy, I have never felt like that before, not with anyone, I just…I have to have you, or else I will go insane, or fade!"

She felt a bit nervous right away, right, this was serious shit, very serious shit, fading was not anything to make jokes about. "But…darn, how am I to say this, we have just met?"

He groaned again, his eyes still dark." I know, it is odd. But I know what I feel Amy, and for you I will give it all up, I would gladly chose to become mortal just to spend the rest of your life with you."

She gasped, felt a need to back away from him but didn't. " Oh no you don't. don't you fucking dare! No way you are gonna die ever! Hear me? I am not worth it, you will sail to that paradise of yours with your dad and your brother and everyone else and that is it."

He stared at her, despair in his eyes." And live forever knowing I have lost that which could have given my life true meaning?"

She felt trapped. " Oh sheesh, don't speak of that. I may be freaking dead in a few days for all we know, don't go ahead and fall in love with me damn it. It will not end well."

He just stared down. " I already have Amy, you are my one, and nothing can change that."

She winced. " You cannot be sure of that, it could be that you just feel fascinated by me, have a crush or something. It will pass"

He shook his head, the expression within his eyes rather stern. " No it won't. I know this within the very core of my soul Amy, there is no denying it. I wish to bond with you, to become your mate."

Amy had sometimes dreamed of being proposed to, when she was a kid and still naïve. Later those dreams had faded away just like the rest of her childhood fantasies. She had to scoff. "Are you serious? You are proposing to me?!"

He nodded, his eyes told her he was dead serious too." I am, it isn't right and I know it for there ought to be a one year betrothal and an exchange of rings and vows and …But I cannot wait for that long…"

She sighed. " You are serious, I was afraid of that. You know I will grow old and ugly and frail yes, and die, before you have even had time to notice that decades have passed by?"

He leaned forth and kissed her cheek again, it was very loving. " Yes, but it is the soul that matters Amy, not the flesh."

She did notice that he sat in a rather weird posture and had to snigger. " Well, I can most certainly see that your flesh is rather eager right now."

He nodded, biting his lower lip. " You are right, you have…I have to go back to my room, take care of…things"

She suddenly felt a bit weird, bolder than usual perhaps. It was a bit of a thrill knowing that this gorgeous creature sat there, wanting her so bad he could hardly constrain himself. " I can help you with that"

He gasped, his eyes got huge. " Are you serious?"

She nodded." You are obviously serious about marrying me so why the heck not? I sort of have caused you discomfort or what? It is only fair that I help you get back to normal"

He was blushing, Amy could barely believe her own eyes, but he was, like a beet root. " Uh, only…only if you…truly want to"

She slid closer to him and kissed his cheek. " I do, but I may be a bit out of practice, be warned. And are there some other bench here not so visible?"

He nodded and got up, the wide robes hid his problem rather well but she did see that he had developed a rather wobbly gait. She had to snicker and followed him into a rather secluded part of the garden where a sort of pavilion was made from the living branches of several bushes. It was amazing and the sweet scent of the flowers was almost intoxicating. He sat down onto a hammock and she saw that he was a bit curious and nervous as well as aroused. She nodded at him. " Open those robes."

He obeyed, he was wearing a short tunic underneath it and tight leather pants. Amy had to giggle, the pants didn't look very comfortable at all, in fact they were pushed outwards as far as the fabric allowed it. Elladan was breathing harder again, she thought she could see a faint tremble in his hands and his eyes were getting darker. " Now what?"

She chuckled." Lean back and enjoy the show"

He frowned, not certain of what she meant but she sat down next to him and let her hand slide over his crotch. He gasped and stared at her and she felt powerful somehow, like she was in charge now and she really was. And there was no doubt about his readiness, he was hard as a tree trunk underneath those pants and she gathered her courage and started rubbing him gently. He moaned and closed his eyes for a second and she had to grin. He was very sensitive, maybe all elves were like that? No wonder then that Lindir had fallen so totally for Lucy. There was no such thing as a zipper there, not even buttons. She had never seen laces on a pair of pants before but they did come undone rather easily and she slowly pulled the leather out of the way.

Amy had to blink a few times, first of all, he was just as well hung as she had suspected from before, and second of all, she had never considered that part of the male anatomy as beautiful or even nice looking but he was, or rather, he was perfect. No other words could describe him. He had very little body hair, and it was as silky and soft as that on his head and she let her fingers slide through it once, just to tease and he hissed and trembled visibly. She felt that there was something almost lewd about this, sitting there next to this absolutely stunning creature which was so much more than herself and in a way seducing him but she couldn't see anything wrong with it, not now anyhow.

She could smell him, a woodsy musky scent that sent shivers through her entire system, she had given hand jobs, she just wasn't that good at it but she knew she was rather good at blow jobs and she had decided that this was the path to take on this occasion. She used her hand at first and he grasped onto the edge of the hammock, his knuckles white and he was panting. It was torturing herself, and she knew it but she sort of felt guilty for having let him kiss her without stopping him first. She owed him this. He was already leaking, the slick fluid made it easier to slide her hand up and down the considerable length and she just hoped that she would be able to handle such an impressive tool when and if they were to do it for real.

He whimpered and had closed his eyes and she thought the sight was rather endearing, he was so submissive, surrendered completely to her touch. Slowly she slid off the hammock and sat down in front of him. She had never enjoyed doing this but she sort of wanted to please him and she knew how to. If her co-workers had seen her like that they would have gotten a heart attack for sure, neither of them had believed that she was capable of feeling desire.

'She slowly replaced her hand with a gentle kiss, placed her hands on his thighs and he winced and opened his eyes, stared down at her with confusion. " Amy?"

She grinned, a rather wicked grin before she kissed the head and let her tongue slide around it and he let out a sort of hoarse wheezing noise before his eyes rolled up and he grasped onto the fabric of the seat so hard he almost ripped it. She got to work, knew how to tease and make it last and she did realize that he never had enjoyed this sort of pleasure before. Perhaps the elves didn't know about oral sex at all? But he was making a lot of sound though, not loud, oh no, just low whimpers and keening that was a giant turn on for her. He was heaving for air, obviously fighting hard not to thrust and she appreciated that, he had to understand that he had to be still for her to do this properly.

After just a little he was a shivering mess and Amy felt proud of herself. He had been close a couple of times but she had slowed down then and kept him from reaching his peak too soon. But now she was getting a bit tired, her jaw was aching too and she didn't want to torture him so she started to caress his tight balls while she bobbed her head a wee bit faster. Elladan was biting into his own hand, trying desperately to stay in control of himself but it was impossible. He could as might as well have tried to stop the Bruinen with the help of a spoon and a pair of forks. He arched off the hammock, legs shaking and body shuddering while stifling his scream with his hand.

Amy forced herself to not let go, she took him as deep as she could when she felt him starting to come and she had never liked this part of it even a bit but she would endure, for him. To her shock it wasn't that bad, she was used to bitter tasting disgusting liquid but it was rather sweet and easy to swallow. But he came a lot, and she started to wonder if that was normal or if he just had been saving it up for a long time. When he was done he just laid there, eyes closed, mouth open and chest heaving as if he had been fighting for hours.

Amy smirked, at least he was satisfied and she knew she could endure for a few days more. He slowly returned to normal and she tucked him back into his pants and redid the laces, smiled as she did it. " Did you like that?"

He just nodded, then he sat up slowly, shaking his head as if to clear his mind. " Amy, that was…I cannot even describe it…How…"

She sat down next to him again and he put his arms around her. He was still shuddering a bit and his eyes were glassy. " It is rather common practice where I am from, I haven liked it though, before now. "

Elladan leaned onto her, he was so warm and so solid and she felt a sort of safety she hadn't known before. "I have heard of it, but nobody have ever…Oh Eru Amy, it was wonderful"

She kissed him and he felt the taste of himself on her lips and gasped, kissed her back with feverish energy. " I am glad to have been your first then."

He managed to get a grasp of himself, got up and straightened his robes. He helped her up and kissed her brow. "As soon as you are able to I will return that favor, I promise."

She almost purred. " I cannot wait"

They left the pavilion and headed towards her rooms, she still felt a bit confused about his feelings and her own too but at least she didn't feel as though she owed him anything. The city was quiet now and the constant sound of the river and waterfalls was like a lullaby. She was tired, in fact she was darn tired now and she almost hung from his shoulder as she entered the rooms. He helped her get her shoes off and she just blinked and didn't protest when he got her dress of her and put her to bed. " Stay with me?"

He hesitated, then he nodded and pulled his robes off, kicked off the boots and laid down behind her. She felt the warmth from him and it was wonderful. She was safe, and before long she fell asleep. Elladan remained awake for quite a while, his soul was singing with joy since he had found his one and yet he was sad and afraid. He could not deny what he felt, it was his destiny but what it that meant that he would have to say goodbye to his brother? He wrestled with his thoughts for a long time before he fell asleep.

The morning light was piercing as it flooded the room and Amy shook her head and yawned. She had slept like a log and she felt Elladan behind her. He was still asleep so she got out of the bed slowly not to wake him up and went to the bathroom. She did what she had to do, threw her used pads into the basket and got on a new one, and then she washed her face. She got aware of a small closet and opened it, to her shock it held a mirror. It wasn't a very nice mirror but it did show her some changes she hadn't been aware of. First of all, she looked a bit younger than before, not that she had had wrinkles and grey hair but she was just more youthful. Second of all, the scars she had had since her acne ridden days were gone, her skin was as smooth as an elf's. To top it off, her previously rather thin hair had become thick and shiny and it had to be an illusion but had her neck gotten longer too? And her eyes, holy mackerel, they had changed! The color had gotten darker and clearer and there was some sort of light in them that hadn't been there before. She just stared at her own reflection and now she suddenly realized that all of this was real, that she was in a different world, that she wasn't who she thought she was and that everything could end rather abruptly.

She found herself shaking, grasped onto the marble sink and breathed deep to fight of her hysteria. She counted to one hundred before she left the bathroom, Elladan was awake and lay there, looking at her with a tender smile and she wasn't sure what she had done to deserve his affection but perhaps she had been a really nice person in a previous life or something.

She got dressed and they went to the hall for breakfast, the first person she met was James, the boy was grinning from ear to ear and he told her they would get ready to perform their play in a couple of days. Then she noticed Franklin and he was sitting among the carpenters and they were trying to show him the different types of equipment they had. Mrs Southall was there too with her girls and the ellith were swarming around them, children were rare there and Amy understood that this made quite a lot of females a bit broody. She had to snigger. The others didn't understand Sindarin at all but there were things you didn't need language to understand. Lindir and Lucy sat in a corner and both had terrible bed hair and Erestor wandered by their table with his nose in the air and a haughty expression. When he turned around to take a seat Amy saw that someone had attached a piece of paper to his robes, it said with huge letters. "Kick me"

The kids from the orphanage were giggling so she suspected that the culprit had to be one of them. They all seemed to adapt and she suddenly felt alone, why she didn't know. She had Elladan and Lucy was her friend too, and they were all her friends but she was something else now. The breakfast was great as ever, and Elrond showed up with Galadriel and Aiwendil. The chef cringed when she saw him and Amy giggled, the wizard had to have been sleeping outdoors for he brought with him a very distinct smell of fox pee and badger droppings. Elrond saw Elladan sitting by Amy and he froze for a moment, she did see that his eyes for a moment revealed both shock and fear and she understood him, by god she did. He was afraid she would take his son away from him, make him chose to become a mortal. She guessed that ada Elrond was a bit torn by all this now.

The youths were busy preparing the play and Lucy did drag Lindir off so Amy had really little idea of what to do. Elladan seemed to understand her problem and he tilted his head and grinned, a very boyish and mischievous grin. " Do you know how to ride a horse?"

Amy nodded. "Yes, we do sometimes use horses in the park, in the areas where there are no roads. "

He tilted his head and winked. "Then maybe you would like to join me for a ride? Just to take a look at the area?"

She bit her lip. "Do you think it is alright? I mean, my wound still feels a bit stiff"

He nodded. " I wouldn't worry about that, we have an old gelding here, and he wouldn't toss anyone off even if they tried to make him buck. "

Amy sort of felt a bit excited by now, she wanted to see more of this lovely place and she wanted to move. She took a deep breath. " Okay, but not more than an hour at the most. I haven't ridden that much lately and I refuse to return with saddle sores."

Elladan kept that grin upon his face. " If you get into problem I can lift you into the saddle in front of me."

Amy immediately went beet red, she got a sort of mental image that was less than welcome. She remembered how one moves ones hips while riding a horse and sitting in front of him in a saddle? Oh mercy, that would most certainly be like tossing a can of gasoline onto a pyre. Elladan walked in front of her down to the stables and a stable worker gave him a swift bow. "My lord, do you want me to saddle your stallion?"

Elladan smiled."Yes, and saddle up old Dusty too, Amy is going to join me."

The ellon went to saddle the horses and Elladan was whistling a sweet tune as he put on a pair of chaps to protect his pants. Amy got a pair too and they were a bit too long and didn't really fit but she didn't think it mattered that much since they weren't going for a long ride. She liked these stables, they were open and didn't smell like stable at all. Everything was tidy and clean and the horses were so beautiful. Elladan pointed at a stunning white stallion and snickered. "That is Glorfindel's horse, Asfaloth. Glorfindel refuses to ride anything else than white horses you see, and he loves to braid their mane and add bells and such to the harness."

Amy had to laugh. " Oh, that is called compensating where I come from. Some males buy themselves really flashy and great looking vehicles that are insanely expensive."

Elladan frowned. "Compensating for what?"

Amy had to grin again. " For not feeling adequate downstairs?"

The elf tilted his head. " Uh? I do not understand?"

Amy sighed. " Okay, they buy themselves these nice things because they fear that they aren't…packing tools of the right dimension to please the ladies?"

Elladan went red, then he let out a sort of cough. " Oh Eru, do not tell of that to Glorfindel, he doesn't need to compensate for any lacks of that kind. That ellon could have made my horse envious."

Amy gaped. " Really? Seriously?"

Elladan nodded. " Yes, and it is actually bothering him."

Amy had never heard of a male complaining about being well hung but if what Elladan said was true then perhaps he really had some problems finding partners who could deal with something like that. It wouldn't be unlikely.

The stable hand returned with Elladan's stallion and a small grey gelding who looked as if it was more or less half asleep. The horse was walking with its head hanging low and it looked as if it had been a foal back at the time of the creation of the earth or something. Amy just gaped. " Holy heck, how old is that horse?"

Elladan shrugged. " Nobody knows, elven horses can live for several centuries but ada thinks this one is about four hundred years old. "

Amy was thinking fast. " Oh crap, I guess that would make him about forty years old if he was an ordinary nag. Can he even move?"

Elladan smiled. "Sure, the elflings use him to train riding and he is as gentle as a kitten."

Amy stared at the saddle, it was of the type she associated with knights and renaissance riding and she pulled herself up with some effort. The horse just stood there, as steady as the bedrock itself and she had to use her heels a lot to make him move. They rode out of the stable and Elladan headed towards the plains further down the valley where the river was flowing calmly in meandering swings among huge holts of some gorgeous trees she hadn't seen before. The sun was shining and before long Amy felt that this was a good day, she really needed this and the horse was not as slow as she had believed when it had warmed up. She was laughing and enjoying herself as Elladan managed to make his horse rear and do tricks. Before long they were galloping around by the river and forgetting about everything.

As they were having fun another rider came down the path towards the city as fast as his exhausted horse could carry him, he was almost urging the poor animal on but knew it was dangerous. The path was steep and dangerous and he didn't want to risk the life of a very loyal friend. He raced over the bridge and into the central square and jumped off the panting horse. A servant came running and stared wide eyed at him. The grey wizard looked as if he had a dragon on his tail, his beard filled with twigs and there was a very dark spark in his eyes. "Where is Elrond and Galadriel, this is urgent!"

The servant was about to open his mouth and answer when Elrond appeared on top of the stairs, Galadriel right behind him. They hurried down and Gandalf appeared to be catching his breath, the horse stood there with heaving flanks, covered with sweat. " Where is the girl you spoke of my lady?"

Galadriel frowned. " I do not know, what is the matter?"

Gandalf grasped onto his staff so hard they heard the wood creaking. " I saw something on my way here, something I had hoped I never again would encounter. She is in grave danger"

The servant swallowed nervously. "I saw Amy and Elladan ride off towards the river a while ago?"

Elrond swore and Galadriel went pale, the wizard seemed to shrink for a moment. " Give me a rested horse, now!"

The servant ran off and Elrond looked scared. "What are you doing Mithrandir?"

Gandalf stared down the valley. "Whatever I must to save her, and your son. I fear I may have arrived too late after all"

Elrond frowned and looked confused. " The valley is protected by my ring, nothing evil may enter it."

Gandalf just shook his head. " Nothing may enter it no, but evil that have been lurking here since before you arrived may still wait patiently. "

The servant came running leading a tall brown mare by the reins and the seemingly old man was in the saddle in a flash. Aiwendil appeared on top of the stairs, he looked very confused. "Gandalf old friend? The beasts, they are uneasy?"

Gandalf grasped the reins and nodded. " And rightfully so, get everybody inside and shut every window and door."

The elves just stared and he almost roared. "Now by Eru"

Gandalf stared down towards the river and suddenly they all heard a distant scream. Gandalf went ashen grey. " Too late!"


	10. From the earth they arises

Chapter ten: From the earth they arises…

The sunlight felt like caresses, and the sweet wind made her feel better than in a long time. The valley was indeed beautiful and she enjoyed the scenery immensely. She had never seen a place like this before, the landscape was so lovely it seemed unreal and she was listening to Elladan's stories about the place. He showed her the rivers and the many waterfalls and she was relaxing and felt at peace. They saw some herds of deer grazing on the many meadows, birds sang from the trees and she knew that she already loved this valley. It was so pure in a way, so unspoiled. Elladan told her they never cut down trees unless they already were dying and they didn't hunt unless they really needed the meat. It was a very ecological way of thinking and one she supported whole heartedly.

She told him of her job and her everyday life and he was eager to learn more of the nature of her home. She explained how mankind was abusing her home world and it made him very sad. They were discussing the differences between their worlds and time just slipped by without them even noticing. Amy felt so at ease when he was around, she was still feeling rather confused by his confessions and his proposal but she chose to ignore it. She wanted to enjoy the moment without thoughts filled with doubt.

They rode by a small brook, Elladan showed her a school of fish that moved through the water like small dark arrows and she enjoyed watching the serene nature of the area. The trees were large and strong and she had never seen many of the species there. Elladan told her their names and she listened and tried to remember. They were about to ride across the brook when she noticed something odd. Elladan was busy explaining the different methods of catching trout and he wasn't as aware as he usually would be. But she could tell that something was off right away. The birds had seized singing, the air eerily silent and the wind seemed to have died down. She stopped her horse, stared at her surroundings. " It is too quiet here!"

Elladan jerked, he lifted his head, sniffed the air, his eyes were widening. " You are right, something is wrong."

He turned his horse and was about to tell her to ride back towards the city when the ground underneath them started to shake. Amy gasped and Elladan had already pulled his sword, the ground was bucking like an untamed horse and she could see that the grass was being lifted up, as of something underneath the very earth itself tried to break through the layer of roots and old dead vegetation and into the light. Amy spurred Dusty but it was too late, something shot out of the ground and it grasped onto the old horse with heavy thuds. Dusty let out an awful sound, Amy had never believed that horses could scream that bad, the thick rope like things had latched onto the animal and was pulling him off his feet but the gelding was fighting bravely.

Amy had never seen anything that disgusting, it looked like roots but they were wet and looked slick and there were visible veins everywhere, pulsing and twitching.

Elladan let out a shout and hacked away at one of the tentacles, it snapped with a sickening shriek and some dark almost purple liquid was sprayed everywhere. The poor old horse was thrown over onto its side, Amy was thrown out of the saddle and landed on the ground with a gasp and a moan. Immediately several new tentacles shot out of the ground and tried to grasp onto her. She had never seen anything like this, it looked as if some giant octopus had mutated and developed the ability to live on dry land. Something massive was working its way up, the soil cracked and a monstrous head became visible, it looked almost humanoid but its eyes were just dark hollows and its mouth was enormous with huge saw like teeth. It roared and the tentacles tried to grasp onto her again, to drag her in.

She dodged them, her fear fueled her reactions and she heard the thing roar in anger. It tossed the poor old horse around like a toy and the animal screamed one last time and went silent as it hit the ground with a terrible sound of bones snapping and tissue being ripped apart. Amy screamed in anger and sorrow and Elladan sneered, the thing was almost out of the hole now, it had to have some sort of legs too, not just tentacles. He shouted at the horse he rode and suddenly he rode straight at the abomination. Amy gasped and didn't believe what she was seeing, the elven horse jumped out of the way when the thing tried to grasp onto it and Elladan jumped from the back of the horse and straight onto the ugly pale head with its blue veins and disgusting smell.

He was brave, nobody could deny that. He hacked away at the tentacles with a speed that was unbelievable and the thing was writhing and bucking, trying to toss him off. But he kept his balance and the grey eyes were like steel as he made an extremely elegant movement and jabbed the long elegant elven blade down into the beast's skull. It looked soft and vulnerable but it had to be rather tough still. It took some effort to push the blade in and the thing let out a horrible howling sound that was probably the most ghastly noise she had ever heard. Elladan spun the blade and the thing went limp, collapsed forward with the nasty maw still open. The thing did stink like a garbage dump in mid july and it was oozing some sort of pale sticky liquid.

Elladan jumped down onto the ground, his eyes were wild and he was pale. " What in the name of Manwè's tits was that thing?!"

Amy was out of breath, her adrenaline caused her to feel dizzy and she swallowed again and again, trying to calm down. " I have no idea, a horror movie director's wet dream?"

The elf just stared at her. " Hu?"

Amy shrugged. " Oh, never mind that, it was ugly, that is for sure."

Elladan had a dark expression within his lovely eyes. " It was after you Amy, it was targeting you!"

She felt ice cold, wanted to say that it could have been a coincidence that she was attacked first but she knew that he was right. " Oh shit!"

He whistled for his horse. " We have to return now! I have never heard of any evil creature being able to enter this valley, we have always believed that Imladris was safe."

Amy didn't know what to say, she just stood there, almost paralyzed. Alright, she had seen orcs, had been told she was some sort of ancient spirit dressed in flesh and she was living in a place inhabited by elves but this? This was too much, way too much. She would have preferred an army of spiders, at least she knew what a spider was. This monstrosity had to be something that the creator had left on the stove to simmer a wee bit too long or something. Or were there nuclear experiments being done in secrecy some place? The monster had looked like some terrible mistake but the tentacles had been very strong and she saw that some of them in fact had suckers on them and sharp barbs, like on a giant octopus.

Elladan bit his lip, stared at the carcass. " We should burn it, before it spreads any disease."

Amy felt herself tremble, the thing had almost gotten her and her poor horse was dead. She felt the need to go hysterical but she kept herself in check. God damn her before she acted like some bimbo. "I think this is the terrestrial version of what the old sailors referred to as the kraken"

Elladan tilted his head, he was still breathing fast and he held his sword ready. " Kraken?"

She nodded. " Yes, a giant octopus which could pull entire ships down like a kid drowns a toy boat in a bath tub. These days we call it rouge waves."

Elladan shrugged. " Call it whatever you ,like meleth, I call it a creation of Morgoth!"

Amy stared at the carcass of her horse, she felt so sorry for poor old dusty and felt how her nose clogged up. Oh no, she was such a cry baby when it came to animals, she could watch TV-programs about all sort of terrible thing happening to people and she wouldn't even flinch but add animals in need and it was time to secure all hatches and get the life west for the floodgates would open up completely. She went over and saw that the impact had crushed the horse, several bones were broken and it had probably died instantly. At least that was a comfort. She was about to pull the bridle off the dead horse when they both heard a buzzing sound, Amy raised her head a bit confused and Elladan frowned. "What the hell?"

The buzzing came from the ground, from the hole where the monster had broken through and Elladan let out a shout and grasped Amy by her waist, he tossed her onto his horse as if she was a toy and jumped into the saddle behind her with the grace of a huge cat. The hole in the ground seemed to grow, more soil fell into it and suddenly something burst out of it. It looked like smoke at first but Amy did see that it wasn't smoke. It was some sort of insect swarm and it was huge and dense and the buzzing was very aggressive sounding.

Elladan swore and spurred the horse which went straight into full gallop right away, the insects looked almost like one being, controlled by one mind. It reminded her of a huge flock of starlings she had seen one evening. She felt a strong arm around her waist and he had sheathed his blade again, it was of no use against insects like these. The swarm was catching up on them, it was too fast, much faster than even the swiftest horse and Elladan screamed to his horse and the animal changed its course. Amy had no idea of what he was planning on doing, the first insects reached them and she saw that they did resemble wasps but they were a heck of a lot larger, almost black with sparkling red eyes and long stingers. She did not for a second doubt that these were poisonous.

The horse screamed as several of the things landed on it and stung it and Elladan swung his cloak frantically to keep the nasty insects away. Amy felt a sudden stinging pain in her leg, then in her thigh and she saw that two had stung her. The pain wasn't that bad at first, hardly any worse than that of an ordinary wasp sting but then it hit her and it hit hard. It felt like liquid fire had been injected into her body, as if somebody had poured molten lead into her bones. Her muscles were convulsing and she felt her throat constricting. Panic shot through her, she knew that she was in serious trouble now. Elladan noticed that she had problems breathing and the horse was stumbling by now, it made rasping sounds and Amy saw that they were heading towards a rather huge drop. The river was rather slow flowing and deep there and she realized what he was about to do, oh shit, oh god, oh NO!

Elladan let out a roar and the horse jumped off the cliff, he had kicked his feet out of the stirrups and was holding onto Amy like crazy. She wanted to scream but she couldn't, it felt as if they were falling forever and then there was an almighty splash and ice cold water covered her and she didn't know what was up or down and she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe, she didn't want to drown! She was flailing around with her last strength and Elladan hadn't let go of her, he pulled her with him as he swam underwater with powerful strokes and she could see through the glassy surface of the water. The swarm was up there, waiting for them to emerge. How were they to escape this?

Amy felt her lungs burn, she was desperate for air, her field of vision was decreasing and her heart was beating in a desperate rhythm. It was so cold, so terribly cold. Her body refused to listen to her, it was moving in spasms even now and as darkness crept in on her she did only regret that she had to die before she had managed to get in bed with Elladan. It would have been one memory worth savoring through eternity.

The elf swam towards the other side of the river, a boat was moored to a fallen tree and he grasped onto it and with the strength of desperation he managed to tip it over. There was air trapped underneath it now, enough to breathe in for a short time. He couldn't reach the bottom, had to tread water to stay in place and he held onto Amy with all of his might. She was unconscious, wasn't breathing and he let out a howl of despair and pressed his lips against hers, forced air into her lungs. She needed to get out of there and fast, she was freezing to death, her throat was swelling shut and the poison was wreaking havoc with her body. He did it again, and again and she coughed and spat water but didn't wake up and he whimpered and held her as close as he could. "Do not leave me Amy, do not leave me now. Please, do not let me lose my true love before I have even bonded with her!"

He sobbed and felt how the cold water was draining even his strength. The insects were still on the outside, attacking the boat and it sounded as if an army of archers were firing at it, continuously. Elladan felt like crying, he was so afraid and so confused and also pissed off like never before. His horse was dead, Dusty was dead and Amy was dying, somebody was to pay for all this. There had to be something he could do, something that could save them, but what? Had anyone even noticed that something was amiss?

Gandalf was riding hard down towards the river and before long he was joined by two others. Elrond and Galadriel was joining him and he felt a surge of gratitude, he would need their help, he just knew it. They heard some strange sounds and the wizard swore and spurred his horse again. Elrond rode a tall black mare and Galadriel was riding bareback on a grey gelding that looked as if it was about to run until it dropped dead. "What did you see?"

Elrond had to shout to make himself heard over the thunder of the hooves. Gandalf almost sneered, he was leaning forward over the neck of his horse as he fidgeted with the top of his staff. " Something I haven't seen since the time of the great lamps!"

Elrond almost gasped, that was such a long time ago, the world had been very different back then. "What then? Do tell us"

Gandalf didn't even look at him. " A force created by mistake and later on used by Morgoth. It is some sort of shape shifting magic, and I bet that it still is serving the dark vala."

Galadriel looked pale. " That ancient? What is it doing here now?"

Gandalf put a bright red crystal into the top of his staff. " I saw it in the woods, in its original shape, a strange almost formless creature. It wants the girl, there is an evil mind behind all of this, and it spells disaster if it gets her."

Elrond listened, they didn't hear much more now but he felt that there was danger ahead. Galadriel held onto the mane of her horse with one hand and she was mumbling some sort of enchantment. Her ring had started to glow and Elrond felt that also his hidden ring reacted. Gandalf had closed his eyes, then he opened them again and his gaze was burning. " The magic is down there, by the river. I will deal with it but you will need to protect Elladan and Amy."

Elrond felt how his mouth had gone dry, he felt it. A sort of acrid taste in the air, a wicked mind trying to invade his thoughts, slippery and slimy and just disgusting and so very very old, terribly so. He shut it out with ease and Gandalf rose his staff and shouted something Elrond didn't understand at all. The words were powerful though and echoed between the walls of the valley. There was some sort of dark cloud over the river in one spot, and underneath it he saw a overturned boat. The cloud had to be insects?

Gandalf let out a shout and the swarm changed their target, now they flew straight towards the istari and the buzzing sound almost sounded like laughter. Galadriel gasped and Elrond couldn't believe his own eyes. He saw that the wizard made a gesture with his staff and a strong bright light seemed to spread from him and it sort of engulfed the swarm completely. The rings were glowing by now, and Elrond lifted his a bit reluctantly but he sort of felt that he had to. There was warmth coming from it, and a sensation of touching something terribly loaded with energy. Galadriel did the same thing and he saw that the swarm of insects seemed to shrink. Or rather, the insects were shrinking, returning to their natural state.

Gandalf shouted one last spell and let go and the swarm dissolved, the confused and weakened ground wasps would return to their hives, the dark magic removed from them forever. Gandalf almost trembled in the saddle, he looked tired and Elrond rode next to him down to the river. "How could that thing enter here? My ring protects the valley?"

Gandalf sighed and blinked. " Like I said, it has been here, waiting. Or a small piece of it has, what I saw in the woods on my way here was yet another part of it. It can crawl through the very bones of the earth and every small piece of it is somehow connected with the others. But it is gone from the valley now, forever. It can never return when there is no part of it already present."

There was a shout from the river and Elladan emerged from underneath the boat, he was dragging Amy behind him and she was unconscious. " Help, she got stung and she can barely breathe! "

Gandalf and the others dismounted and Elrond threw himself down next to her, she made rasping sounds with every breath and was terribly cold. Gandalf stared down at her with narrow eyes, he was playing with his beard and Elrond didn't really know what to make of his expression. That old man did have quite a poker face when he wanted to. Galadriel was holding one of Amy's hands, she looked shocked. " The poison, I can feel it! It is trying to change her!"

Gandalf nodded, a somewhat bitter grin on his face. " Yes my lady, you are right, it is trying to transform her. She is important indeed, for more reasons than one would expect."

Elrond was pouring as much healing energy into her as he possibly could and he saw that Elladan was shivering too and in obvious distress but he had to concentrate upon his work now. The poison was terrible, he could feel it surging through her system, messing things up but he was holding it at bay, at least for the moment. He stared at Gandalf. " "What is it trying to do to her?"

The istari sighed and sat down onto a rock, he looked like a very ordinary old man but Elrond knew that he hid his true nature very well. " It is trying to corrupt her heart, make her a willing slave of the darkness. The spiders are just a tiny bit of it all, someone wants to free Morgoth from the void, before time"

Elrond swallowed the taste of bile and Galadriel was trying to aid him by adding the power of her ring to him. Bringing Morgoth back? Who would dare to try that? She was a lightbringer wasn't she? Could that mean that her powers could be abused? Elladan was sniffling and he looked so very frightened. Elrond had seen his son badly wounded many times but he had never seen him looking like this. He already knew that his son had fallen for the adeneth, but he hadn't really believed that it was anything serious, just a minor crush or perhaps just lust. After all, the girl was very attractive in a sweet and yet sensual way and Elladan was hot blooded. This on the other hand was clearly serious, he couldn't mistake the light in his son's eyes for anything else than love and his soul was crying out in despair. He couldn't lose his Dan, not like this! If she died his son's soul would follow her, and time didn't matter. Be it today or in a hundred years, if they bonded she would be the death of him. And yet, what could he do? He was helpless! It was such a bitter thought.

Gandalf took a deep breath. " This takes too long!"

He touched Amy with the staff and she jerked, a gargling sound escaped her and she arched before she fell down again, limp and pale. She took a deep breath and then she opened her eyes with a shriek. Elladan was there immediately, lifting her upper torso up into his lap, trying to calm her down. " It is alright, ssshhh, I am here. You are safe!"

She just stared at them, then she started to register what she saw and she whimpered and Elladan embraced her and kissed the top of her head, almost desperately. Elrond felt a stinging pain in his heart, so be it. She would perhaps cost him his son but who was he to deny Elladan true happiness, how brief it may become. Galadriel got back onto her feet. " She is so cold, and weak. We have to get her back home right away"

Elrond nodded and Gandalf whistled for their horses. " Yes, she had to recover and then we are going to have a long talk. I am afraid it is needed. "

Elrond frowned. " You knew the magic would attack as insects?"

Gandalf grinned, a very proud little smile. " Yes, I sort of guessed it would. It is very efficient that way. We saw that a lot back in the old days when Morgoth was being captured the first time."

Elrond was glad the children hadn't yet been awakened back then, it would have been such a horrible war to behold. Elladan got Elrond's horse and held Amy and his father and Galadriel shared a horse. They rode hard back to the city and Amy was very quiet and almost lethargic. Elladan was very worried and they didn't stop until they were at the very doors of the healing ward. Elrond called for some of the other healers and they came rushing. Amy was free from the poison but not out of the woods by far, she had inhaled water, had hypothermia and the stings were nasty too, huge and swollen and painful. Elrond opened the doors and Elladan carried her inside, the servants were already making a huge fire in the hearth and they didn't hesitate even a second when she was laid upon the bed. They cut the clothes off her and warm blankets were wrapped around her with hot rocks between them.

Elrond found some ointments that would help fight the swelling and the pain and then they gave her some medicine that would help her avoid pneumonia or other problems. She felt like shit and she felt terribly sleepy too. This was not good at all. She knew that Elladan was there, she could somehow sense him. He had saved her but what the heck were those things and why had they attacked her? Her head hurt and she felt cold in spite of the warm blankets. Elrond came with a cup with something in it and Elladan held her so she could drink. It was sweet and very strong and she gasped for air and felt how her insides did warm up again, she suddenly felt as if she was drinking liquid fire.

Elrond put the cup down and felt her neck, counted her heartbeat and checked her temperature. " I think you will be okay Amy, but you will need some rest. I will keep you here until tomorrow just to be on the safe side."

She rolled her eyes but knew that he was right, she had gotten a lot of water in her lungs and she had almost died. Elladan let his hand run through her hair. " I will keep you company Amy."

She swallowed and allowed herself to relax against his chest. "Good, I was afraid I was going to be bored to death!"

He kissed her brow lovingly. " No chance for that, I am going to keep you entertained, fear not. And I will demand that the kitchens bring you the best food available. "

She had to snigger. " Wonderful, your cooks make excellent food, I hope I can move around a lot soon or else I will put on weight."

He grinned and held her close again, knowing she was safe was wonderful, exhilarating in a way. He was so relieved he could have cried and he didn't even want to leave to change his own wet clothing but one of the head healers grasped onto him with a very stern gaze that made Amy giggle and told him to get lost and change his clothing. Elladan obeyed and it didn't take long before he returned wearing new and dry clothes. Amy knew that elves don't get sick but it felt better knowing he was dry and warm.

Elladan found a comfortable position and let her lean onto him, he was constantly playing with her hair. " So, what sort of food do you eat where you are from?"

Amy could feel his heartbeat and smelled him too, she felt so safe, so treasured and she didn't want to think about the terrible attack. She just wanted to exist within the moment, with him. " Oh, there is a lot of great food there, and some that is not so great"

He tilted his head, she could feel his chin on top of her head. " Not so great? Why are people eating it if it is not so great?"

Amy closed her eyes, she felt surprisingly well. " Oh, it is all about culture. I had a friend once who came from a country to the north of the continent known as Europe, they had a dish called smalahove and it is literally a sheep head that has been cut in half, scorched with a blow torch, smoked and baked. Imagine, food that is staring at you!"

Elladan let out a small grunt, and it didn't sound very pleased. " Half a sheep head? I would have to be half dead from starvation to even consider something like that!"

Amy snickered. " You would ha? Then we have Haggis, a sheep's stomach filled with meat and vegetables and boiled whole. And the French have a lot of fine wine and some cheeses that smells like nothing you can even imagine. Some places they eat fertilized duck's eggs with the duckling inside of it, and I have even heard of places where old butter is considered a delicacy."

Elladan looked a bit green. " Eru's mercy! You humans have peculiar customs."

She turned her face towards him. "What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?"

Elladan cringed. " Oh by Manwè's balls, do I have to answer?"

She nodded. " Oh yes, no escape now my love."

He took a deep breath. " Right, we once visited King Thranduil's realm. The inhabitants are silvan and avarin elves, very close to nature. I got persuaded into trying one of their special dishes."

Amy was curious. " Tell me more, please. "

He sighed and held her close. " It was a stew, made from fermented fish, raw mushrooms and some herbs and they had added the testicles of a stag and some sort of kidneys. I haven't to this day dared to ask what sort of animal they came from, but I was high as a kite for hours because of the mushrooms and I spent three whole days puking like crazy."

Amy had to laugh, she couldn't help it. " Oh my, that is one hefty dinner."

Elladan had gotten a stern expression upon his fair face. " Time for payback, what is the weirdest meal you have had?"

Amy had to think, she had tested a lot of odd food but she remembered one dinner in special. " Well, that was something I ate when I visited the friend I mentioned before? It was a sort of fish, and they dry it until it becomes like wood and stores it for a long time. Then they drop it into lye for some days, takes it out and puts it in water again and then you eat it."

Elladan swallowed convulsively. " Lye?! Are you kidding me?"

She giggled. " Nope, it looks like jelly and has no taste but smells like something that shouldn't be touched by human hands. I tried one piece of it and I almost gagged. It smelled like….oh I cannot even describe it, it is too vile. But many people love it though."

Elladan just rolled his eyes. " Hooray for cultural differences. "

Amy had to snigger. " yes, the spice of life."

Elrond and Galadriel had followed Gandalf into one of the studies, Aiwendil came scurrying too, looking rather confused. They sat down and Erestor brought them some refreshments. Gandalf stared into nothing for a while and the silence became awkward. Elrond hawked, he felt as though he didn't have the right to disturb the wizard but he was craving answers. " So, what is this all about, can you answer my question?"

Gandalf sighed and his gaze was still distant. " I am not sure, and I am being very honest now. I have no idea what she really is, and how she has ended up here but there is one thing I am sure of and that is that something wants to use her to free Morgoth."

Elrond knew his voice was raspy and shaking but he had to speak. " How?"

Gandalf smiled, a bitter smile. " By using the ancient dark force known as Ungoliant, nobody knows how powerful that entity really is, she could possibly tear down the doors of the night and allow Morgoth to escape from his prison."

Galadriel sighed. "That is why she attracts those spiders, why she had that dream. But who could be powerful enough to control that monster? Morgoth could not."

Gandalf sort of grimaced. " There lays the question, I think we may need to dive deeper into Amy's past to find the answer to it. But for now we have to keep Imladris safe, that is our first priority. The spiders are heading in this direction as we speak and there are a lot of them too."

Elrond cringed. " We know, believe me, we know! But if Amy isn't here the spiders should change their course now wouldn't they?"

The wizard nodded. " Yes, I think so too, but where can she go? I think the best option is to locate the dimensional gate and take it from there, it could perhaps tell us something."

Elrond groaned. " I have had people out there searching for it for days, we have seen nothing so far."

Gandalf sighed and pulled out his pipe, Galadriel made a grimace, she hated that bizarre tradition the wizard followed. It did stink and made her cough. " I have sensed that the gate is open still, but it could be anywhere!"

Gandalf raised an eyebrow and there was a short glimpse of mischief in his eyes. " No my dear lady it cannot. I have discovered something rather peculiar."

Aiwendil looked curious and his eyes were shining. " Really? Do tell us, please."

Elrond tilted his head and Galadriel managed to ignore the small of the tobacco the wizard by now had light on fire. The istari let out a sigh and stared into the fireplace, his eyes distant. "The spiders are migrating towards where Amy is right? She will bring back their mother, the origin of their species. But I think there is also a different cause behind the migration, what would you do if pursued by thousands of huge spiders?"

Elrond looked puzzled. " Run in the opposite direction?"

Gandalf nodded and grinned. " Exactly, and if you were the one behind all of this, the one wanting Ungoliant back where would you prefer that Amy went?"

Galadriel answered, her voice strangely hollow. " As far away from anything that may endanger my task as possible."

Gandalf got up and grasped a map that lay on a table, he held it up. " You are right my lady, the spiders is heading in this direction because they are sent to distract us, to hide the real reason why they are moving."

Elrond took a deep breath. " They originate from Mirkwood, are you trying to tell me that the gateway is there?"

Gandalf nodded. " Indeed it is, there is a dark presence already within the forest, what better place to summon the ancient enemy than from that place?"

Galadriel stared at the map. " The spiders will force her to flee to the south, towards Rohan."

Gandalf pointed at her with his pipe. " Exactly my lady. An open land where there is few places to hide, and few places where she can defend herself."

Elrond hid his face behind his hand, suddenly he felt so very tired and old. " Oh I bet Thranduil will looove this, he will accuse us of breaking an entry or something like that."

Gandalf just puffed. " Ignore such accusations, he may be an isolationist but he isn't stupid, If Ungoliant really is brought back within his woods not even that underground palace of his will save them. No, it will be a death trap. It is in his own interest that we locate the gate, close it and end this calamity once and for all."

Elrond pressed his lips together. " Not to be the one who ruins a great plan but how are anyone to get past the spiders? And if the gate indeed is found, can we destroy it?"

Gandalf just shrugged. " The girl opened it, I bet she can close it too. Whoever or whatever it is that is behind this all used her powers but she can control them too I am sure, if she just learns how to."

Galadriel swallowed, she stared at the floor. " I saw her dying…"

Gandalf nodded. " That is a possibility yes, and one we have to take into consideration but we cannot hesitate, our world is in danger. If we have to sacrifice a life or two it is a small price to pay. "

Elrond had to force back tears, the lives lost could easily include his son too, and if that happened Elrohir would suffer too and likely fade or chose to sail. It was a mess, a terrible awful mess. Gandalf smiled swiftly. " And regarding the spiders, I am sure we can come up with a way of getting past them."

Galadriel sat slumped forwards, she was looking less like a noble leader and more like some really tired and worried person. "So when are they to leave then? We cannot wait for too long, but I don't think Amy is ready to travel just yet. And who are going to follow her?"

Gandalf tilted his head. " A fair question my lady, that would be myself, Aiwendil, Elladan and hopefully some warriors."

He got up and his eyes got distant. " We leave in three days, we cannot hesitate."

Elrond groaned and stared at the map. The spiders were getting closer every day, he knew that they had to be stopped but he was so afraid he would lose those most precious to him. But there was no other way and he had survived hardship and loss before. Galadriel stared at him, her eyes were distant and her expression one of doubt. She reached out and grasped his hand, held it with a firm grip. " Send your best warriors, I fear that they may need it."

Elrond nodded. " I will, but I have no idea of whether or not they will be able to avoid the spiders."

Galadriel made a grimace. " I bet Gandalf has a trick up his sleeve. He usually does, but yes, I do worry. We doesn't know everything yet, we have no idea of what sort of energy she harbors, what opened the gate using her powers. I do not like to enter a battle without even knowing the enemy."

Elrond patted her hand. " I know, believe me. I pray the valar are with us in this,"

She sighed and her eyes were sad. "The valar care naught about our problems mellon, only a direct threat to them will be a cause for a reaction."

Elrond knew she was speaking the truth, they wouldn't react at all if this was something that only affected middle earth. If it started to spread across the sundering sea on the other hand? Then they would most certainly start fighting but by then it could be too late.

Amy had fallen asleep with her upper body resting against Elladan's body and he was holding her tenderly. He was to defend her no matter what and that was a thought that both made him proud and scared. It was as if his life hadn't mattered at all until now, but now he had a purpose and a meaning. He closed his eyes and just relaxed, enjoyed the warmth of her and her scent. He was almost asleep when he suddenly felt his brother reaching out to him through their sibling bond. " Dan?"

He answered immediately. " Yes Ro?"

Elrohir felt distressed, there was something odd about his presence. " Is it true?"

He hesitated for a few seconds before he answered. " What do you mean?"

Elrohir didn't answer right away, there was a sort of heavy silence. " You have found your one and it is Amy"

The voice was flat, hollow. Elladan swallowed hard, he hadn't at all thought of his brother these last hours. " Yes, she is my one, our souls are destined to be bonded"

Elrohir suddenly almost shrieked, a terrified anguished shout. " Then I will lose you Dan, you will die!"

Elladan understood his brothers distress, but he couldn't do anything about it. " Maybe, maybe not, nobody can tell."

Elrohir sobbed and Elladan wished that he could have held his brother, comforted him the way he had when they were younger and Ro got scared by something. "Oh Eru, can't you see that this will separate us? That we will be like ada and our uncle? I cannot…I cannot imagine life without you Dan, please, you cannot…."

Elladan swallowed hard and held Amy close. " I have to Ro, I already have. There is no going back. I will share whatever time she has among us, please forgive me."

There was a faint whisper returning to him, a bitter and so terribly sad sentence spoken with such hurt it almost broke his heart. " No, I will never forgive you this Dan, not until the end of all things"

Elladan lowered his head and whimpered, he just knew that his brother meant what he had said, but nobody could foresee the future in all its details. There could be that their fate would still be different from what everybody expected. He hid his face in her thick shiny hair and swore that he would stand by her side, in life and in death if it came to that.


	11. A merging of souls

**Chapter 11 : A merging of souls…**

Amy slept for hours and when she woke up she felt a lot better. The swelling was almost gone and the pain too but she felt heavy and tired. Elladan sat in a chair and he was reading when she opened her eyes, he got up the moment he heard her moving and caressed her face gently. "Finally awake, you have slept so long."

She rubbed her eyes and swallowed, oh shit, her mouth felt as though some small hairy animal had crept into it and died there. She pointed towards the table by the bed, it held a carafe of water and he grasped it and poured some into a glass. She downed it in one go but it still didn't remove that godawful taste on her tongue. Elladan looked worried. "What is it Amy? Are you in pain?"

She shook her head. "No, but I feel as though I have tried to sort out a year's worth of garbage, with my mouth."

Elladan giggled and pulled out a small flask, he poured from it and she got a hefty dose of whatever it was. " I should have guessed, Ada's medicine sometimes has some nasty side effects."

She growled and took a sip of the liquid, it hit like hammer and made her gasp for breath" No shit! But this is good stuff!"

Elladan nodded. "The dunedain makes it, from rye. It is rather strong yes."

He sat down onto the bed next to her. "Aiwendil came by while you were sleeping, we are to leave in three days. And they want to investigate further, what happened to you back when you were a kid."

Amy sat up, she still felt slightly dizzy but she had to shake it off. "How? It is in the past"

Elladan shrugged. "I know, but I am sure Gandalf can find out. He always comes up with these surprises"

She leaned a bit against him, it felt good and she was a bit nervous. Three days? That wasn't far away at all. "Where are we to go then?"

Elladan smiled and stroked her back, it felt very nice and she relaxed. " Believe it or not, Gandalf thinks the portal you opened have moved far indeed, that it is somewhere within Mirkwood."

Amy frowned. "Really? Isn't it a bit dangerous going there? I mean, that king doesn't have a very nice reputation?"

Elladan scoffed. "Well, he can be a…piece of work yes, but he isn't unreasonable and he can be a very wise elf too. He is old, and has seen much, much of it bad so it is really no wonder he is a bit paranoid at times."

Amy almost felt like purring like a cat, the hand on her back was heavenly." Does he have any family?"

Elladan nodded. " A son, he is nice though, nothing like his dad really. We are good friends, he has been here a couple of times, to learn."

Amy closed her eyes. "So Thranduil has no wife?"

Elladan nodded and his hands did slide through her hair. "No, she died, many centuries ago, he never mentions her. I think it broke him completely, some elves cannot handle such loss very well at all. They sail, or fade or go insane."

She sighed and let her weight rest against him. "But how are we going to get there? The spiders are getting closer even as we speak?"

Elladan took a deep breath. " Gandalf says he can get us through, I have no idea of how though."

Amy almost growled, " I have a feeling that wizard knows more than he wants to admit."

Elladan nodded. "The istari are like that, mysterious. They can drive anyone up the walls!"

Amy had to laugh and Elladan pulled the blankets tighter around her. "Relax, and rest. The kids have told everybody they are going to have their play this evening, everything is prepared and everybody is so excited."

Amy had to cough, to avoid snorting. "Well, do not get your hopes up too high, I wonder what they have managed to do in just a few days."

Elladan grinned. "The oldest kids have been running between the artisans here all day long, making stuff. And the younger ones have been sewing and making all sorts of weird things, so I bet it will be good."

Amy giggled and tried to get even closer to him. "Have you seen Lucy lately, or is she too busy banging Lindir?"

Elladan had to laugh. "She has been seen yes, at meals but they usually stay in his chambers most of the time. "

Amy felt a strange sensation of darkness within her chest, she was suddenly afraid. He did notice, held her tight. "What is it meleth? Tell me"

Amy took a deep breath. " I brought this upon them didn't I? I didn't mean to bring them all to this place but I did and …and I may not even live to see how they will fare!"

He kissed the top of her head. "Do not say that Amy, I am here, I will protect you. I will not let you die"

Amy sighed. " I hear what you are saying but not even you are able to fight something like those monsters they have told me about. When you are dead, who then will protect me?"

He was silent and his hand rested in her hand, it was shivering slightly. "My…My brother is not too happy about us. He fear that you will cause him to lose me"

Amy bit her lower lip. " Oh crap, that too. I didn't think about the fact that you are twins, that is really too bad. I do not want to cause problems for you guys"

Elladan held her even tighter. "It matters little now Amy, I have made my choice and that is to stay with you. You are my one and nothing can change that"

She didn't want to say anything more, it felt so wonderful knowing he truly loved her and yet it was terrible knowing that this fact may cost him his life. He kept stroking her hair, humming a soft tune and she felt sleepy again. She was almost half asleep when there were a soft knock on the door and Elrond entered. He smiled but there was a sort of ,melancholic expression within his gaze. "Amy, Gandalf and Aiwendil wants to know if you are ready to speak with them, and maybe explore the mysteries of your past a little bit further?"

She felt the need to roll her eyes, she had been so comfortable. " Alright, I guess there is no way around it now is there?"

Elrond tilted his head and left and before long the two istari entered together with Galadriel. She looked a bit nervous and Amy immediately tensed up. Gandalf sat down in a chair and Aiwendil took another one, Elladan didn't move, he still sat there in the bed, letting her rest against him. The two istari looked at each other and Amy had to think that the difference between them was rather huge. Aiwendil did look a little like some homeless person, a real hobo. Gandalf smiled and she sort of knew that she could trust him, but that didn't mean that she would like whatever it was he was going to suggest. " Amy, the power you have harbored is strange and unexplainable. It could be that it was with you from the moment of your birth but we are sure that something happened that one time when you almost died. "

Amy nodded. "Well, even I can understand that much yes, but it is many years ago. "

Gandalf leaned back into the chair. "Yes, but the memories are still there Amy, locked up within your head. There is a way to bring them back into the light"

Amy flinched, " Oh darn, I know, hypnosis right? They do that a lot back home, when people can't remember being abducted by aliens and all that sort of shit"

Gandalf looked confused but she just gestured vaguely. "Alright, go on. "

The wizard smiled " It will not be dangerous Amy, and we will all be here. Elladan can remain where he is. But it will maybe help us understand what it is that is using your gift."

Amy sent them a somewhat sarcastic grin. " Right, who has hacked into my brains, all right, let us do it then. I am not one for procrastination."

Aiwendil chuckled. " We understand that, this will require that we all have access to your mind so if you don't mind the bed will be crowded."

Amy had to snort. " Heck, what can be better than to spend a day in bed with two wizards and some elves?"

She knew that her less than polished traits got the better of her when she got nervous and Aiwendil sat down next to her. Galadriel too sat beside her and they all touched her. Gandalf took her hand and smiled. " You will be safe Amy, worry not. It will not be real, just a memory."

She swallowed hard and Elladan had put his arms around her, moved a bit so he sat behind her, supporting her completely. " Now what?"

Gandalf smiled and his hand was very warm and real, and the presence felt so friendly and comforting. " Close your eyes Amy, and listen to my voice."

She obeyed, closed her eyes and the world sort of fell away from her. Became less real than the path of her memories, leading backwards in time. She was staring back at her life as if she was floating above it all and the memories fled by like a movie that was put on fast forward. Then it stopped and she stared down at the small hill with the pond and she saw herself and the other kids playing, saw them splashing around laughing and giggling and she couldn't believe that she had been that small and cute.

Then she was pulled into herself and she saw everything as if it was happening there and then. She was wading around a fallen log, looking for nice sparkling stones while the other kids were busy trying to build some sort of raft from some discarded poles and a piece of Styrofoam. She saw one rock that was even shinier than the rest and reached for it, the suddenly something grasped onto her legs and pulled them out from under her and around her everything seemed to stop, as if time itself had seized moving. She gasped for air, swallowed water, trashed around but the grip of invisible hands was too strong and held her down and she saw the surface from below, saw the last bubbles of air leave her airways. The hands were cold and felt like iron and she was too young to realize that she was dying, she only knew that she was scared.

Then everything went dark and the hands let go, but she felt herself float away, towards a strange light that seemed both soft and cold at the same time. She was frightened and wanted her mom but a very tall figure appeared in front of what could only be a throne. He was extremely tall and wearing a dark grey robe with intricate embroideries in silver, they seemed to shift and change all the time and the creature had very pale skin and dark eyes and he was too beautiful to be human. He had a sort of crown on his head and there was an aura of power around him that made the very air crackle with static electricity. Amy had put her thumb in her mouth, something she hadn't done for years, she needed comfort so bad.

The creature had shrunk until he was no larger than an ordinary man. " Child, be not afraid. No harm will come to you"

She whimpered, her six year old self had no way to deal with this, her experience of the world too limited yet. He bent down and a soft hand caressed her hair. " You are special little one, a spirit born from one of us, born for a purpose. You will not remember this until the time is right"

She had just sniffled. The man looked so strict but his voice was soft and she knew that he was a nice person, not one of the bad guys her mother warned her about. "One day we will need to bring home someone brought to your world and we cannot open a gate ourselves, someone of your world has to do it. You have that power little one, as a child of both worlds."

Amy just kept sucking her thumb, she was a shy kid at that age and this made her feel insecure. He touched her forehead. "Remember until the day comes, you are made from an ancient spirit of immense power, a creature forged by Eru, turned into flesh with the help of one of us. "

She felt a strong heat surge through her and the creature became blurry, she was being dragged back. There was water everywhere and she was struggling again, the hands were gone but now something else was there, some sort of lurking disgusting energy, trying to enter her memories. She shut it out, bright light streaming from her spirit and it made the dark entity flee but not before it had encased her completely a few times. Then she floated to the surface and was seen and there was people shouting, cries and the sound of running feet.

Amy gasped, she felt as though she just had drowned and Elladan held her tight, whispered to her. Gandalf looked shocked and Galadriel sat there and swayed, she was panting slightly. Aiwendil's eyes were crossed and he looked so silly Amy felt a bizarre need to laugh out loud. "Oh Eru, now it starts to make more sense but why? Why did they need to bring Elured and Elurin back to middle earth?"

Gandalf was obviously talking almost to himself and Amy felt her head spin, she had goosebumps and she felt drained somehow. Galadriel had gotten a stern expression on her face. " I think I know why, as protection!"

Gandalf smiled, a soft and almost sad smile. " Why of course my lady, you are indeed wise. Melian was their great grandmother, they should have some of her powers."

Elrond had stood in a corner the whole time, not speaking at all, now he came forth and he looked as if he had had an epiphany. " They knew that danger would come, and tried to intervene."

Gandalf nodded. " Yes, you too are of Melian's blood but there is too much human in you, you are not strong enough to create a girdle like the one Melian made to protect Doriath"

Amy frowned. " Ah hello? I am no scholar, I know naught of what you are talking?"

Elrond turned around. "Melian was the queen of king Elu Thingol of Doriath. She was a maia and very powerful, she created a magical barrier to protect the kingdom."

Amy raised an eyebrow. " Your ring does protect the valley doesn't it?"

Elrond nodded. "Yes, but we are talking about thousands of spiders, it will be too much."

Amy sighed. " Alright, so those valar obviously made sure that there was someone present able to open a gate. Why did it end up so terribly wrong?"

Galadriel shook her head in what could only be disbelief. " Amy, you didn't understand did you? He said it to you, created with the help of one of us. Your father was a vala girl"

Amy gaped. " Are you serious?!"

Galadriel nodded. " Yes, and I think there can be only one possible candidate too. You are drawn to the woods and mountains aren't you? I am pretty sure that you are a daughter of Oröme"

Amy looked like a question mark and she stared at them and they stared back, " But, he said, a spirit forged by Eru? "

Gandalf nodded. " Yes, they let that spirit meld with the one created at the moment of conception, you are in a way a mix of two souls Amy"

She had to giggle, it was simply too much. " So basically I am as schizophrenic as fuck?!"

Aiwendil shook his head. " No, nothing is wrong with you. You are one soul, one spirit, but with the powers of more than one. Eru, I hadn't even thought that the valar could breed with a mortal"

Amy got a thought jammed into her head. "Oh darn, that means that mom did the naughty with…with a God?!"

Gandalf had a peculiar expression on his face, as if he didn't know if he ought to laugh or cry. " Well, they are very good at camouflage if they have to, she probably thought he was an ordinary human."

Amy just mumbled. " Well, if I ever meet this Oröme guy remind me to kick his nuts into orbit for knocking my mother up without sticking around!"

Aiwendil tilted his head. " Eru must have made one more lightbringer, one stronger than all the others combined, in secret. And you are it, add the powers of a vala and I think you may be the most powerful being in this realm."

Amy just squirmed, " Right, I feel like freakin' superwoman, now, what the hell did happen? What did hitch a ride back in my mind and made me bring all the people with me here? What is trying to use me!"

Aiwendil bit his lower lip and Galadriel stared down at the covers, she didn't say anything and Gandalf was playing with his staff. " Oh I get it, you still doesn't know?"

Gandalf sighed and tilted his head to the side, his eyes distant. " Whatever it was, it tried to kill you, and thought you were dead too. It probably didn't know that you are a half vala, it saved you. Your soul went to mandos, not to wherever mortal souls go. When you came back to life I think it did panic, it tried to possess you but failed, however, a small part of it did in fact manage to attach itself to your soul and that was enough. "

Amy sighed. " And caused mayhem when the gate was opened, I get it. And wants to make me bring that darn spider back too."

Gandalf looked thoughtful. " What can it be? Sauron isn't strong enough, I am sure of it. He is gaining power again for sure and gathering his forces but this sort of method isn't one he would use, I am rather sure of it. He isn't that subtle."

Galadriel sighed and sat up, she looked as if she was cold. " You are right, he is all about power and might, he will not bother with something that discrete."

Elrond looked a bit confused. "Then what?"

Gandalf shrugged. " I have no idea, honestly! It is powerful, and ancient and very wicked too I bet. But I have no clue as to what it is."

Amy sighed and Elrond stared at her. " Amy, you are a half vala, have you any idea of what that means?"

She shook her head. " That my real dad was a really powerful dude?"

He made an attempt at grinning. " That too, but I have wondered about you a few times. You recover very well from injuries, way faster than you should have. And there is something very odd about your soul for sure, now we know why. The reason I am asking is that you probably are much like us elves."

Elladan gasped and held her so hard she feared her ribs would crack and she gaped. " What do you mean like elves?"

Elladan sounded as if he was close to tears. " You are immortal Amy, like us. You won't grow old and die!"

She just stared at them, her mouth wide open and her eyes large like teacups. " Seriously?"

Elrond smiled, it was a very relieved smile. " Have you looked yourself in the mirror lately Amy? You have changed, a lot!"

She frowned. " Uh, well, yes but I thought it was all the fresh air and healthy food and stuff"

Gandalf smiled widely. " It is your other side growing stronger, I think you will discover just how strong you are soon enough"

Elladan was kissing the top of her head and she had a very hard time believing what she had been told. This was getting more bizarre by the hour. Aiwendil smiled and touched her cheek. " When I think of it you do have a remarkable resemblance with the great hunter Amy, the shape of your face and the angle of your eyes."

She looked at him with narrow eyes. " So you have met him, any idea as to why he chose my mom?"

The wizard shook his head and Elrond made a gesture. " Listen, Amy is tired and she has been told a lot of surely confusing and frightening information. I think it is time to let her rest and recuperate, and have something to eat"

Amy suddenly realized that she was hollow, that her stomach had been growling for food for what felt like hours. "Food sounds great yes, food is the answer"

The others got up and Elrond smiled swiftly. "I will make sure the kitchens send something very delicious."

Elladan swallowed and looked a bit unsure of himself. " Ada, could you…could you tell Ro please? He has shut me out. He needs to know what Amy is too."

Elrond came over and kissed Elladan on the brow. "Yes, of course. I think he is with the children, helping them prepare for the play. It looks .like it is a grand tale indeed. They are so dedicated. "

Amy had to laugh, it was utterly bizarre. Here she was sitting, just learning she was a half God of some sorts and now they were discussing the kids who had turned star wars into a play. She was going mad for sure. Elrond left and the moment the door shut Elladan grasped her chin and turned her face towards him. He kissed her hard and with a zeal that made her gasp for air. " Whoa, I am pretty sure I still need air!"

He stared her in the eye and his grey eyes were soft and she saw that there were tears forming in them. That startled her a bit. " Is anything wrong?!"

He shook his head, laughing and crying at once. " No, absolutely not. We have a future Amy, we can have forever!"

She hadn't really had time to think of that before, but he was right. She wouldn't become a wrinkled old hag while he still was as handsome as ever. " I guess so, but remember your grandmother's visions?"

He snorted. "Ah screw them, she could be wrong!"

She let him kiss her again and this kiss was soft and gentle and it made her toes curl up. Darn he was a good kisser, and she was torturing herself letting him do it for she wasn't ready for the next level just yet. She was burning up and started caressing him slowly. Elladan moaned and pushed his groin against her and there was no doubt about it, he was ready for more than just some pecks.

He mumbled. " The servants will be here soon, with food. I think we ought to stop this now, before we do something we may regret."

She giggled. " I know, it wouldn't look good being caught in the act, quite literally."

Elladan laughed, a deep melodious laughter. " You are right, but Eru, I ache for you. How long before…?"

She felt herself blush. "Tomorrow, I am pretty sure."

He nodded. " Eru be praised, If I have to wait any longer my balls will turn blue!"

Amy had to giggle, then she got a very bad mental image and had to laugh until her stomach hurt. " Oh that would be too bad though, but you do have a couple of capable hands you know"

He shook his head. "Wanking off when I have something like you to wait for? No way, I am not some youth with a body overrun by urges and no control."

Amy got a sly expression on her face, crawled closer to him. " So, elves too have those awkward years when emotions are raging and the hormones are raging even worse?"

Elladan rolled his eyes, he grunted since he was in a very uncomfortable position but he didn't try to move away. " Indeed we do, only that it last a few decades and you humans only suffer for a few years."

Amy gasped. " Are you serious? You spend decades going through puberty? That have got to suck big time"

Elladan blushed violently. " Oh you have no idea. I remember when Ro and myself started changing. It was…pandemonium at times"

Amy was shocked. " You did know about…well…the changes, before they started happening yes? I mean, every responsible parent will inform their kids about certain things"

Elladan nodded. " Oh Ada had told us everything of course, let us read books and had some extremely awkward conversations with us, and naneth too of course. She was better to talk too though, we had to much respect for ada to ask him the most odd questions."

Amy crawled into his arms and her grin was wide. " You have gotten me curious, pandemonium? You have to explain that"

Elladan let out a keening whine. " Oh Amy, do I have to?"

She nodded sternly. " I want to know everything about you, if we are to be wed then no secrets remember?"

He sighed and then he let out a small laugh. " It is funny to think about now, but Eru how many strange things that happened. "

Amy tilted her head. " Do tell, do not let a lady sit here waiting?"

He almost growled. " Oh judging by your curiosity and questions you are hardly a lady but okay, let me see."

She held her breath in anticipation. " I remember the first time I had one of those dreams and spilled in my sleep. I woke up with the sheets all sticky and cold and did panic so I tried to hide them in a closet and they lay there stinking for days until nana found them and she scolded me for having ruined some good sheets and then she laughed so hard she was close to tears."

Amy felt a surge of affection, it was odd to think about it, that this seemingly ageless timeless being had been through the same awkward things as most human teenagers. " Then there was this one time when Ro was in real trouble, and I mean real trouble. Do not tell him that I told you, for he will be more angry than a wild boar covered in ticks."

Amy sent him a wry grin. " I swear, not a word."

Elladan moved a little and she could feel that he has relaxed again, good, she didn't want to torture the elf. "In the library there is a whole shelf with…adult….literature. And Ro had sneaked into that part of the library and found a book and while reading it he had gotten some ideas. He wanted to try something new so…well, he ended up at the infirmary with an…object…stuck back there"

Amy let out a loud gasp, she had to cough from the shock. " He got a dildo stuck up his …backdoor?"

Elladan blushed. "Yes, apparently the book didn't tell that one ought to use some sort of lubricant."

Amy had to laugh. " And your ada had to remove it? I bet that was one very tense situation."

Elladan nodded with exaggerated moves. " Ada was all professional but he had a hard time keeping himself calm and Ro, oh he was squirming and blushing and after that he winced whenever anyone even as much as used the word object around him."

Amy smiled. " I understand that, those things happen a lot back in my world too, the healers have a sort of competition whenever many gather, to find the most unlikely object removed from somebody's…body."

Elladan giggled and held her again, she could feel the vibrations from his body and it felt good. "Ro has always favored males, that is one difference between us, I hope he will meet his one too one day. He deserves to be happy."

Amy frowned. " So you elves sort of accept that people are…uh…attracted to others of the same sex?"

Elladan nodded. " At least we do here on this side of the sea. They say they are way more pious back in Valinor but I bet it has changed by now, they are probably flooded with reborn elves loving others like themselves and if they don't want a second exodus I bet they have to accept it."

Amy smiled. "That is nice, back home some accept it but others claim it is unnatural and a sin, some places you risk your life if people find out about it. "

Elladan frowned. " I cannot understand why? Love is love, it brings souls together, the flesh in which they are clothed ought to matter little"

Amy nodded and let her fingers play with his long black locks. "But you have never screwed up now have you? Never done any blunders?"

He squirmed. " Oh if you only knew, well, I can tell you this much, the first time I really was with someone I sort of made a mess out of if"

She turned her head, saw that he was blushing like a beet. "Really, how exciting, tell me more"

He groaned. " Amy, you are relentless like a pack of wolves. But okay, I had finally managed to gather my courage and had taken this elleth I liked to one of the pools and I was so eager and ready I was unable to form a coherent thought. She must have thought I was the most stupid ellon ever!"

Amy felt so relaxed and at ease, she didn't want to think about the fact that they were leaving in just a few days. "And?"

He sighed, took a deep breath. " She undressed me first, and I swear, I have hardly ever felt that horny. Eru I was close to exploding and then she pulled her dress down and took my hands and placed them on her breasts and I, well to make a long story short I exploded there and then and came all over her dress. It was a mess and she was a little disappointed but I managed to make it up to her later."

Amy kissed his hand. " Good to know that you do have some experience then"

He just nodded and she saw from the expression in his eyes that he was contemplating returning to the kissing and groping business but there were footsteps coming closer and they pulled apart and sat there like innocence itself while servants came with the food. Amy was starving and she could barely constrain herself, she filled a bowl with stew and bread and ate with a distinct lack of manners. Elladan raised an eyebrow and poured some wine. "Here, to help you swallow, darn you act as if you haven't seen food for days."

She could just nod while she stuffed her face, it felt wonderful and the food was superb as always. She guessed that her body needed the extra energy to heal. When she was finished she felt stuffed and Elladan helped her lie down and they rested and slept for a few hours before the play was to begin. Lucy came to get them when it was time, she was wearing some extremely odd costume Amy couldn't even start to identify and Elladan looked even more puzzled. Lucy made a vague gesture. " I am a bantha, and I think they want me to play the role of Jabba too. This is a sort of…mix"

Amy had to grin. " Oh dear, mix indeed."

Lucy helped Amy get into a clean dress and braided her hair, put some makeup onto her face and Amy found that she was looking forward to this, it did at least bring her thoughts away from the current situation. Elladan took her hand and they went down to a natural theater formed by the cliffs. There were elves everywhere and every seat was taken, some even sat in the trees. There was a tent erected at the back where the actors and the equipment was being stored and the atmosphere was electric. Mrs Southall came over and sat down next to Amy and she saw that Franklin was down there, helping the kids move some of the lovely painted backgrounds. They were made from canvas strung onto frames and she had no idea who had painted them but it was a master for sure for it did look remarkably like the scenes from the movies.

Elrond waited for everybody to be seated, some servants had brought some food and wine and the few elflings that lived in the valley were placed on the first row. Everybody looked thrilled and she saw that also Galadriel and the wizards had found seats there. The healer bid everybody welcome and told of the project and all the hard work the kids had put into it and then suddenly Amy realized why Lucy had spent so much time with Lindir. They hadn't spent all the time naked, in fact she had taught Lindir and the other musicians the most important themes from the old movies. Amy felt a need to just laugh her head off, there she sat surrounded by elves, listening to the star wars imperial march played on flute, drum and lyre. Lindir was in fact singing, Lucy had sort of made an intro in the form of song and the kids ran out onto stage and before long everybody was caught by the action. Some young ellon was covered with the hide of a very hairy animal and had to be chewie and they had turned the millennium falcon into a ship they all could recognize and Amy found that she really did enjoy this.

They had changed the story so that it would fit the surroundings and be understandable and you could have heard a pin fall. Everybody was paying attention and Amy found it very endearing indeed. The huge dramatic moments were accompanied by music and she saw that James had gotten the role as Luke while one of the girls had to play the role of Darth vader. They had really managed to make the character look creepy, and there were gasps and shouts and also some whistling. When the moment came and the figure proclaimed that he was Luke's father there was a collective gasp and Amy was impressed. They didn't have that much props but still they managed to create an impression of entire worlds and different situations.

The play took a couple of hours and much of the dialogue was sort of made there and then but they managed to patch it all together and the small group received standing ovations when they were done. Amy was proud of them,, she really was and many of the elves were obviously in awe of the story. She saw that some scribes already were hanging over the kids to write down the tale and Elladan grinned and was impressed too. " When that dark knight cut of his son's hand? Oh I bet many here almost felt it!"

Amy had to giggle. " I think so too"

Elladan tensed up, Amy did see why too. Elrohir was heading their direction and he looked a bit pale and his hair was unkempt. He had apparently had a hard time and he stopped before Elladan and his eyes were sincere but also very sad. " I know I said some terrible things Dan, can you ever forgive me? I was just so very scared."

Elladan reached forth and embraced him and Amy felt relieved. At least she hadn't managed to split those two apart. She knew they were speaking through their sibling bond and that was alright with her, she didn't want to eavesdrop at all. At the end Elrohir did hug her too and begged her for forgiveness and it felt good to be able to say that she did forgive him. She was in a good mood when Lucy came running and helped her take a bath. She had needed it and it felt wonderful and she was even more relieved when she realized that she indeed had been right about how long she would be on the rag. She would be done with the whole thing in a matter of hours and she giggled as she got redressed. Screw the spiders and screw the dangers, tomorrow she was going to go to bed with Dan and if anybody dared to interrupt them then may Eru have mercy upon them.


	12. Towards darkness

Chapter twelve: Towards darkness…

The next morning came with a strong wind that made the trees swing back and forth and the clouds were crossing the skies as if they were in a real hurry Few were outdoors and there was a chance of rain. Amy got up early, she went to eat, then she went to visit the children and did discover that all of them were busy telling stories and tales to the scribes. They had probably never had such a very interested audience ever. Mrs Southall was sitting in a chair surrounded by some ellith trying to teach her how to sew, and she was trying her best. Her girls were busy singing some children's songs and Lindir poor soul tried to write it all down and remember the tune at the same time.

Lucy was busy chatting with Franklin, he was starting to appreciate the lack of modern equipment and he was going to become a carpenter or something of the like, he enjoyed making things and perhaps he finally could use his life for something good instead of being a weapon. Only an increase in the number of guards visible told Amy that something was going on, the spiders were probably on the move all the time, getting closer by the hour and she had seen the two twins with their uncle earlier when she left her rooms. They were heading away from the village and she wondered if they really could protect this place when the spiders arrived.

Elladan came sauntering, he looked very relaxed and appeared to be in a good mood, he sat down next to her and kissed her cheek. " I have gotten you a new horse, and equipment too. All will be ready meleth"

Amy didn't really want to think of the fact that they were to leave. "Who will go with us?"

Elladan smiled and caressed her hair, there was some sort of hunger in his eyes and it made her shiver to the bone, yep, she felt a bit like a bitch in heat right there and then. "Gandalf and Aiwendil of course, and grandmother too I think. Ada must stay here but you will have powerful protectors Amy, worry not"

She rolled her eyes, worry not! Easier said than done, for sure! She sighed and finished her cup of tea, the kids were jumping up and down, making splashing sounds and she had to turn her head and stare, were they trying to reenact finding Nemo? James was explaining the lyrics of some popular songs to one of the younger scribes, it seemed as though metallica was a bit odd to him though, and Amy already knew that Lindir thought the lovesongs of earth to be both rude and stupid. She wondered how he had serenaded Lucy to get her in bed that fast, perhaps he was more skilled with his tongue than anyone could have guessed?

Elladan pulled a piece of parchment from his vest and showed it to her. "See, we are here, Mirkwood is here, we have to cross the mountains and the river and then some to get there."

She sighed. "And we are not even sure that the portal is there? That is a long way to go for nothing!"

Elladan shrugged and rolled the map up again. "Maybe, but grandma thinks it is there. We do all trust her, she is very wise."

Amy smiled, it felt a bit stiff. "Good, for I have no idea how Gandalf is going to get us past those spiders."

He just caressed her cheek. "I am sure he has a good plan, wizards are like that, they always keep their cards close to their chest."

She got up, feeling a bit nervous and yet she had a sense of determination. " I thought about taking a trip to the baths, ah, shall we meet afterwards?"

He nodded eagerly. " Yes, there is something I want to show you, so please hurry"

She just smiled and took off, got to her room and found some clean clothes and then she ran to the bath and took a very quick but thorough dip and used half a bottle of shampoo and soap, no nasty odors now thank you, and no dirty underwear. If she was to do this she wanted to be fresh like a rose in spring. Yeah right, more like a dandelion perhaps, tough, fluffy and impossible to get rid of. She had chosen a dark blue dress with lacings and it was a bit large but that was just fine, easy to get out of. She combed her hair and stared at herself in the mirror, damn, she had really changed. It was as if all of her good features were being pushed forwards while the less attractive ones were being erased, and she started to believe them, that her dad really had been one of those demi gods.

She got her shoes back on and left the baths, it was still early so there hadn't been anyone else there and she was a bit glad, she wouldn't have had the patience to sit there and chat. The wind had died down a bit and it was getting warmer but it was still a somewhat rough weather. Elladan stood by the entrance to the main hall, he looked a bit smug and Amy felt a new shiver running down her spine, she wondered if this was such a great idea after all. He isn't human! Her inner voice was screaming at her but it was swiftly shushed by another voice telling her to just go with the flow, she wasn't human either. Elladan was whistling softly and grasped her by the hand, he followed a path along the river and then he suddenly took a turn and got onto another far less used path. It went up hill, rather steeply and Amy cursed her decision to wear a dress, she felt like the world's most clumsy person and he had to help her a few times.

The path was indeed very steep and she preferred not to look back down, she had never been afraid of heights but she had a feeling that the view here would shake her a bit. Elladan moved so easily and without making a sound and she could only compare herself with a huge steamroller, huffing and puffing and sounding like thunder. But after about half an hour they reached their destination, and Amy just stared in awe. It was a sort of hanging valley, a side valley to the main one and it was almost impossible to see from the river. It wasn't large, but the bottom was flat and huge trees grew in a small forest that smelled like pine trees and soil warmed by the sun. She sighed and stared at the scenery, it was like a postcard, so beautiful with flowers everywhere and a small river crossed it too. A few deer ran off and here the wind couldn't be felt at all. It was quiet and warm and Elladan smiled and pulled her along, Among the trees someone had built a lumber cabin, it was very elegantly built and quite lovely and the roof was made from thick flat pieces of rock, some sort of slate? Elladan saw her expression and put his arms around her. "Ada built this cabin for nana, when they were courting. He told me he never had had that many splinters in his fingers before but he did finish it, and it is very nice."

He walked towards the entrance and opened it, the cabin wasn't that large but there was a rather bit fireplace there and a table and some chairs and the floor was covered with a thick layer of fluffy furs. Amy had to giggle, furs and a fireplace, if any more clichés showed up she would lose her nerve completely. Elladan sat down and lifted the lid off a basket hidden under the table, it contained some food, a few bottles of wine and pots and kettles. " The first time ada went here with nana he had huge plans, he was going to really sweep her off her feet, do a most elegant and memorable seduction."

Something in his tone told her that hadn't been the case. "What happened?"

Elladan sniggered. " She liked tea, nana always drank tea so he had brought some from the kitchens and a tea kettle too. But he had forgotten to clean the kettle, there were leaves in it from before and those weren't tea leaves but a sort of herb used against constipation"

Amy had to gasp. " Oh shit!"

Elladan nodded, his eyes were shining. " Exactly, they both spent that day on the privy, it wasn't very romantic but at least they got to know each other like never before. Sitting there next to each other in such a situation does bond people."

Amy had to laugh. " Oh I bet it does. When I was studying there was a disease spreading among the students, some sort of virus. The toilets were crowded all the time and they got clogged, it was a nightmare. The janitor was crying after the third day, huge strong guy, former marine, crying like a kid."

Elladan chuckled. "Well, at least you don't make me want to cry, the opposite actually"

He leaned forth and kissed her and Amy answered it eagerly. He was so very gentle but there was quite a lot of suppressed passion in that kiss and she just knew that she would know why Lucy was so infatuated by Lindir rather soon, elves had to be something special after all. "There is no bed here?"

He ran his fingers through her hair, already breathing hard. "We do not need one now do we? The furs are what we use for a bed here!"

Amy giggled and Elladan suddenly grasped her by her waist and lifted her off her feet before he dropped down and laid her upon those soft pelts. Amy didn't have time to wonder what sort of animal they were made from, she just had time to gasp for breath before he was kissing her again, and this time it was with a lot of fire, and a lot of zeal. She had never been kissed like that before and he was pulling off his tunic while he was giving her lips a thorough work out. Amy felt dizzy, she had never believed those who claimed that a good kiss could be felt all the way down to your toes but now she knew that you indeed could. He proceeded to kiss and nibble at her neck while he unlaced her dress and pulled it down and she squealed and grasped onto locks of long silky black hair, by every god ever invented, he did indeed know what he was doing.

But he was heading south, far south and Amy tensed up a bit as her shoes and the dress went flying, she felt a bit unsure of her self all of a sudden. What if he didn't like her? But it didn't seem as if that was going to be an issue after all, for he was carefully caressing her skin as if each inch of it held some sacred blessing and Amy just forgot about being shy or nervous. It had been so long since she had even been close to having sex with anyone but herself she was beyond anything even resembling self-control within mere moments. She didn't understand the words he was moaning but it had to be something closely resembling "Finally!"

Nobody had ever done this to her in such a way, it felt as if every darn nerve was on fire, and he had to grasp onto her hips and physically restrain her from keep her from writhing too much. He used just the right amount of pressure, was teasing and caressing with precision and Amy was sure she indeed had died and ended up in heaven cause damn! He was good at this! She was sure someone had lit the fire for she felt as if she was in a sauna and her skin was getting slick with sweat. Elladan had to have at least a spark of sadism in him for he kept her on the edge, let her stay there for quite a while, not letting her come and keeping her begging him for it. When he finally let her find her release she screamed so loud she was afraid she was going to make him deaf.

Elladan just smirked and allowed her to come down from her high, then he went at it again and used his tongue and his fingers like a concert pianist uses his instrument, he had gotten rid of his clothing too now and Amy was in awe of him. He was just perfection and she knew that her old friends would have been drooling had they seen this prime specimen of elf. He brought her to the top yet again and now she was getting a bit desperate, she wanted him for real, all of him and luckily he did comply. She was seeing shooting stars, felt as if she finally had found the very meaning of life. He was a bit on the large side but she did relax and then it didn't hurt at all, until he started to move that was.

Amy had to grunt, it felt a bit like she was being stretched way beyond her normal capacity and it was both pleasant and unpleasant at the same time but the pleasure soon drowned the discomfort. Elladan was moaning and panting and his face was contorted by pleasure, it was the most wonderful sight ever and she could feel it rising in her again, like a runaway train. She yelled his name and she probably left some hefty fingermarks on his back but she didn't care, she was melting, flying, being brought to unity with the universe and he tensed up and lost his rhythm before he too cried out and shuddered. Amy had to heave for air, she felt exhausted and she could feel him coming, she had never felt it with any of her previous lovers, well, not that they had been much to brag about in any way. Clumsy and inexperienced sort of summed them up just fine.

Elladan remained on top of her, nuzzling her neck and mumbling small sweet words before he let himself fall down next to her, holding her close. She giggled and sighed with contentment, the tension was gone, well, at least most of it was gone so she could focus on other things. But she had a drop dead gorgeous elf laying naked next to her so her concentration was not exactly the best and she couldn't help but keep giggling to herself. She had done it,she had really done it.

Elladan smiled and kissed her cheek. "What are you thinking about meleth?"

She stretched like a relaxed and pleased cat. " How distracting you are, you make me want more"

He growled and nipped at her ear. "Really? Well, you are distracting me too, you are so darn tempting I fear we will be stuck in here until forever"

She made a mewling sound, turned over onto her stomach and stared at him, a clear challenge in her eyes. "Then we will both be sore and stiff and in the end bored too I fear"

Elladan shook his head. "Not bored, never bored. Believe me!"

He smacked her ass and Amy squealed, so he could play it a bit rough too? Excellent, she was no porcelain doll, she could handle some rough lovin too. She wriggled her hips and he moaned, eyes black and he was hard again, Amy raised an eyebrow. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

The sun was setting and the cabin was getting darker now, Amy was half asleep and she felt as if she had been run over by a herd of stampede buffalo. She was aching in places she never even knew she had and she felt so wonderfully relaxed and sated it was like hovering among the clouds. Elladan was sleeping with an arm thrown around her and he was holding her rather tight, even in sleep. Amy felt a bit odd, as if she somehow could sense him in a whole new way and she started to realize that they had bonded for real, like two elves will when they meet their one. That too told her she wasn't quite human anymore and she also knew that they by now were married. Elves did marry if they did bond and he had told her that earlier having sex meant getting married, but these days they were a bit more relaxed about those things. She did bet that Lucy would be glad hearing that. She had probably been banging Lindir quite a few times by now, and Lucy wasn't exactly the marrying kind, or perhaps she was after all.

But Amy got a bit worried too, what if Galadriel was right? If she died then Elladan would fade for sure, she had never felt such a unity with anyone before and it was a bit frightening but she wouldn't have been without it. Being there with him was the most right thing she had ever done, and the most beautiful. Well, she didn't look that beautiful now with hickeys everywhere, bruises and reeking of sex. She had dried bodily fluids sticking to her skin in funny places and she felt so sore she wondered if she ever was going to be able to walk normally again, but it had been worth it. Oh God it had been worth it!

She had never had several orgasms in a row before but now she had and she wondered how the heck she had survived, and once she had even squirted, that had never happened to her before. She had been so embarrassed but he obviously thought that was sexy as hell for he went almost nuts and kept going like crazy. No wonder she felt as if she just had given birth or something. But it was a pleasant ache in some ways, it told her she had enjoyed a heck of a good time. In fact the best time ever and she sighed and closed her eyes, let herself drift off into sleep while Elladan held her close and kept mumbling sweet words in his sleep. He was really cute like that.

The morning light came with the sound of two rumbling stomachs and Amy blinked and yawned, Elladan mumbled something incoherent and rubbed his face, he blinked too and smiled. "Good morning my lovely, have you slept well?"

She nodded, her mouth felt as if it was filled with cotton, and she felt she reeked to high heavens. "I have slept like a log, please, is there some chance of washing some of the stench off?"

Elladan sniffed. " Whoa, we do stink! Yes, there is a pond not far from here, follow me"

He got up and tossed her a small bottle. "Take a swig of this, it makes you feel better, and it tastes great too"

She did what he told her to do and he was right, her mouth did no longer smell like a garbage dump in august. But getting up was proving to be a challenge, she had never been that stiff before, even after the first time she rode a horse. Her leg muscles were screaming in protest and elsewhere? Man it was even worse. Elladan looked a bit worried. "Are you alright? I didn't harm you in any way?"

She shook her head. "No, I am just a wee bit…sore, and stiff, that is all"

He looked worried still. " I can see that, I will carry you"

He just grasped her and carried her out of the cabin bridal style and Amy had to admit that it felt pretty awesome being carried like that, by the love of her life. She kissed him and he kissed her back, hoisted her a little higher and walked over towards the small river with ease. It was a pond there, a very nice little pond deep enough for someone to swim in it and with soft sandy bottom and some huge rocks that probably were just perfect to lay on when sunbathing. Amy was gently lowered into the water, it was cold but not too cold and it felt wonderful getting rid of all the sticky goo. She was sure elves had to have a very different biology than humans for the amount of liquid he had ejected during the night was way more than a human would have been able to produce, and so many times? He would have made the actors of adult movies cry with envy for sure.

Before long they were splashing around and Amy felt that the soreness slowly disappeared, she felt as if she was born anew and Elladan did swim and dive and he was clearly showing off like a kid. He was so gorgeous, like some young god and she couldn't get enough of him in any way. Staring at him was like staring at some great work of art, like the pieta or a work of Da Vinci. It was pure perfection and she couldn't really wrap her head around the fact that she deserved him, that he wanted her and loved her.

After a while they both got cold and had to get out of the water but by then the smells were just a memory and Elladan helped her drying her hair and they returned to the cabin for a meal and some wine before returning to the valley.

Amy had some minor problems getting down the path, her muscles did protest fiercely and she felt like some newborn calf or foal, barely able to control her legs. But she did manage to get down from the valley in one piece, without falling or hurting herself. The village was peaceful as ever but they met Erestor by the entrance to the main building and he was fuming! The reason was very easy to spot, his normally sleek smooth hair looked like a giant mop. Someone had obviously entered his room that night with a curling iron and went berserk with it. Amy just stared and Elladan gawked and had a hard time not laughing like mad. Erestor was growling as he walked by them, without even saying a word and Elladan looked at Amy with shock. "Eru, who did that? I believed that me and my brother were the only pranksters in this place?"

Amy sighed. "Something tells me you are going to face some real competition from now on…"

There was a loud roar being heard from the hall and James and Eva and some of the kids from the orphanage came running like mad with Erestor hot at their heels! The youngsters were giggling like mad and Erestor could have scared the living daylights out of a cavetroll. Elladan just stared with huge eyes "He has never reacted thus to a prank before, but then, nobody has ever curled his hair!"

Amy had to snort, it wasn't that it was curly, it was frizzy, like the metal scrubs one use to clean dirty kettles. They had to have added something to the hair to make it that stiff. Elrond came out of the door, he was trying very hard not to burst into a very undignified burst of laughter and from the inside of the hall they heard roars and squeals of merriment. Elrond saw Amy and Elladan and smiled, there as a hint of something melancholic in his eyes, "So, there you are, it seems as if someone has found Erestor's weak spot!"

Elrohir came jogging through the door too and stopped, his face was beet red and he was heaving for air, he had probably been laughing real hard for he was clutching his stomach as if it hurt real bad. "Brother, did you see?"

Elladan just nodded with the dignity he was able to muster. " I saw!"

Elrohir snorted. "Oh sweet Eru, we never dared to touch his hair, ever! I do bow to their audacity and courage, I would rather fight a dragon armed with a toothpick and a piece of string than touch Erestor's hair"

Amy still had the sight of the wild nest of hair stuck in her mind, it was both funny and scary at the same time. She had never believed that it would be possible to give an elf an afro! Two of the other kids appeared from behind some bushes, their eyes were sparkling with delight and mischief and Amy felt an urge to grasp them by their ears and shake them. "What did you rascals do to Erestor?"

The kids just giggled. "Eva curled his hair with a hot iron, and Tom and Pete rubbed it with tree sap and ashes. We put some sleeping medicine in his wine last night, he didn't wake up at all! It was awesome!"

Amy translated and Elladan gasped, that would be terribly hard to wash out of the hair, and it explained why it was so stiff now. Elrond looked as if he didn't really know what to do or say, he just shook and strange spasms seemed to ravage his facial muscles. Elladan sent the kids a very menacing gaze. "You have done something extremely naughty, Erestor is so proud of his hair. You go and apologize right now!"

Elrohir was still shaking with mirth, " Yeah, but do bring some cake, he loves cake. 'That may prevent him from warming your behinds."

The kids didn't look as if they were sorry, not even a wee bit and Elrond stared at his sons with an odd expression within his eyes, " I never thought I ever would heard the two of you scold someone for having done a prank, are you well? No sun stroke? No fever?"

Elladan just smiled. "I am very well thank you ada, I feel fine! I guess we just have to accept that we too grow up"

Elrond took a quick glance at Amy and then he sighed and smiled again, an almost sad smile, " Oh yes, you have grown up, both of you. I can remember that one time when you poured laxative in the chef's stew, and the time when you glued all the boots you could find to the floors, it seems like it was yesterday and now you are adult elves and…."

He stopped and just patted his sons on their backs. "I have to go, to prevent Erestor from committing infanticide, we'll talk later!"

Elladan stared at his father's back, his eyes narrow. "Ada always does that, leaves when things get too emotional. He was never very good at expressing feelings."

Amy nodded. " I saw that yes, he looked as if he was about to burst"

Elrohir giggled still, his face red and his eyes filled with tears. "You should have seen everybody when Erestor entered looking like that, you could have heard a fly fart, and Glorfindel almost choked on his wine!"

Elladan just nodded. "Well, that would have been terrible, first being killed by a balrog and then showing up at Namo's halls the second time, having died from a glass of wine."

Amy had to snigger and they entered the hall, Lucy and Lindir sat in a corner, more or less hanging from the table, both shaking with laughter still and the other elves there could be divided into two groups. One in which everybody looked absolutely horrified and in the other they all looked as if they had been close to pissing themselves with shock and laughter. Amy stared at Elladan. "Did you really add laxative to that stew?"

Elladan made an odd grimace and Elrohir was grinning from ear to ear. " Oh yes we did, the privies were overcrowded for hours afterwards, and one time we put pink dye in Glorfindel's shampoo. And then we have that one time where some of the warriors were drunk and we braided their hair together, that was very funny"

Amy had to grin again. "So the two of you have been very busy pranking others?"

Elrohir bowed elegantly and made a sweeping gesture with his hand. " My lady, you are talking to the undisputed champions of the art of pranking!"

Amy had to roll her eyes, right, she would probably be the victim of some pranks herself if she got back from that quest alive. But she had some tricks up her sleeves as well and she intended to use them for all that they were worth. Elrohir stared at her and Elladan and his grin got wider. "So, you have finally…"

Elladan interrupted him. "Ro, no need to get rude here, yes, we have spent the night together, and yes, it was a most wonderful night, thank you, and can we please talk about something else?"

Elrohir patted him on the back. " You know, you did shut me out but I still felt a bit…shall we say inspired, so you must have had a heck of a good time yes."

Amy hadn't had that thought before, but now she realized that Elladan could share everything he did and felt with his brother and she went beet red. Elrohir saw her expression and raised his hands as if in defense. " Peace Amy, I didn't see or hear anything, I swear. I could just feel that Dan was very…eager!"

Amy almost growled. "Alright, but from now on, if you think we are occupied stay out of Dan's mind do you hear? I don't want the entire valley sharing the juicy details!"

Ro looked very hurt. " I would never tell anybody about your private life, nor your love life."

Elladan scowled. "No? Remember that one time you told all our friends about that situation in the bath? If that wasn't private then…"

Amy stared at Elrohir who made an apologetic grimace and lifted his shoulders. "That was a mistake, believe me, I didn't mean to tell them about it at all, I just had a small slip of the tongue that's all!"

Elladan scoffed. "A small slip of the tongue my ass, you told our friends that I had been….pleasuring…myself in the bath!"

Elrohir opened his eyes wide. "But you were! Unless you were washing yourself very vigorously, and like I said, I just forgot about my manners for a moment"

Elladan turned to Amy, he looked both angry and embarrassed. "Listen, I was thirty, hormones were raging like …well, like something very wild and untamed and…Elrohir caught me at it. Still he shouldn't have told anyone, the elf in charge of the baths gave me quite a scolding!"

Elrohir cringed. " Yeah, I remember that! He thought I was you for a few moments, he as rather pissed off"

Amy had to grin, it was obvious that the twins did love each other dearly but they did also quarrel and had their differences too. But Elrohir had accepted her and that did feel good indeed. Elladan straightened his back and tried to calm down. "So, what are the plans for today?"

Elrohir shrugged. "Packing, I will come too you know, and some warriors are assigned to the quest as well."

Elladan looked less than happy. "The fewer we are the harder we are to spot"

Elrohir nodded. "Yes, but ada insists and he is right too, we may need to fight and we need more swords."

Elladan sighed. "We have two wizards and our grandmother, that ought to be enough!"

Elrohir shrugged again, he looked rather relaxed about the whole thing. "Well, to be honest I think so too but we have to obey him. He wants seven warriors to follow us and so seven it is, Glorfindel picked them out, the very best"

Elladan growled. " Oh Eru no, that means Daerel and Maeron right? I cannot stand those haughty uppity jerks"

Amy looked a bit confused and Elrohir smiled, a very sweet grin, "They are veterans and rather old and they see us as upstarts with no real experience. Elladan hates their guts and I try to fawn up to them whenever I can so I can play pranks on them later on"

Amy giggled. "That sounds like a nice way to get even"

Elrohir was rubbing his hands together. " Oh yes it is, one day my lady, one day they will have it coming!"

Elladan put his arm around Amy's shoulders. "Right, well, you should go and start packing, we cannot bring much but do bring good clothes and some good warm shoes and cloaks and blankets too."

Amy nodded, " I am used to packing for camping outdoors"

Elladan made a small grimace. "My apologies, I forgot. Do remember to bring your hairbrush and such stuff too,, I once forgot mine and when I returned from that patrol my hair was so tangled they had to cut several inches of it"

He shuddered and Amy realized that it had to be very traumatic for an elf to have to have a haircut. She gave Elrohir a polite nod and then she went to her room and started to gather the few things she had. She had been given some new clothes and she managed to get them all into a bag, with her personal effects although they weren't many either. But she still had the small bag she had been carrying when she came to this world and she took a quick look at it. It was empty but she did feel something hard in one of the side pockets. She opened it and it was simply a lighter, an old one she remembered that one of her co-workers had given her years ago when they had camped by the lake and nobody had remembered bringing matches. It worked and so she stuffed it into the bag and then she was done packing. Her cloak was already ready and the few blankets she would need were neatly packed up already.

She sat down and tried to rest and sort out her thoughts and emotions, she could sense Elladan now and he was probably in the stables, grooming his horse. It was odd being that close to someone, but she sort of accepted it, and it came natural to her too. She was still a bit stiff and sore and she had to grin, it felt as if they had tried to go through the entire Kamasutra in one go, and she blushed when she remembered some of the situations of that night. But she had needed it, and she was way more relaxed now and felt empowered somehow. Knowing you love someone probably did that to people, it gave you something to fight for. She would do anything for him, and she knew that the portal had to be closed. If not this world could be in great peril and so would he.

Amy rested until the evening meal and she found the hall full of elves, some looked as if they expected a repeat of the mornings great show with Erestor and the kids. But neither of those were seen so they would probably be disappointed. Elrond sat by his table and sipped at some tea with Glorfindel next to him,, they were studying maps and talking quietly and Amy stopped and smiled to them. Glorfindel smiled back and raised an eyebrow. "Erestor is still in the bath trying to get the sap and the ash out of his hair, and the kids have been given some really hard homework to learn for tomorrow. I think the lay of Leithian ought to quell the most rebellious energy in them"

Amy had to grin. "But if it is written in Tengwar they cannot read it, and they do not understand elvish?"

Elrond sniggered. "Galadriel has given them the same treatment you got, now they all understand us, and our language. She thought it would be wise, considering the danger that is on its way"

Amy frowned. "Speaking of the spiders, have the twins been able to recreate the girdle?"

Elrond made a grimace. "Partly, they need training and it won't last that long so you and the others have to do whatever you can and do it fast too."

Amy sighed. "We will try, are the spiders far?"

Elrond shook his head. "No, they have crossed the mountains, the scouts have seen the first ones and they do stay on course too."

Amy swallowed hard, imagined a wave of huge spiders, from horizon to horizon. It was a terrifying concept. Glorfindel saw her expression and he petted her shoulder. " They will protect you, and I am sure you will succeed, you are stronger than you think"

She could just give him a sheepish grin before she went to find some food. Lucy and Lindir was sitting there exchanging some very deep and meaningful glances and Lucy did only not towards Amy. "So, you are leaving tomorrow?"

Amy nodded and grasped the bowl of salad, staring at it. It did look nice but she had sort of lost her appetite. Lucy let go of Lindir and tilted her head. " They are telling me that you aren't completely human, darn, I never would have guessed!"

Amy just grunted. " Well, neither did I. I thought my dad was some nobody or some creepy guy who abducted mom, I was obviously wrong"

Lucy took a swig of her goblet. "Well, good luck, everybody here is cheering for you girl, so go kick some spidery butt."

Amy had to grin, to Lucy it all came down to that now didn't it, kicking butt! And she was right too, Amy shouldn't make this too complicated. It was after all rather simple, do or die. She smiled and tried to eat some, she needed her strength and she managed to eat two bowls of salad before she was full. Afterwards she went to the garden and was shown the different herbs by one of the healers who seemed to be a bit star struck by the fact that she was the daughter of Orome. The elf was blabbering and stuttering and Amy found it a bit endearing although it also made it hard to understand what he was saying.

The herbal lesson lasted quite a long time but it was interesting and she didn't have the heart to interrupt the poor elf so when she finally managed to break away it was getting late. Elladan waited for her by her door, he wanted to spend the night with her again and Amy cringed, she wasn't able to repeat last night's activities just yet. She was just too sore. But Elladan just wanted to sleep next to her and they went to bed early, Amy felt tense and nervous. She had fallen in love with the valley and its inhabitants and naturally she wanted to defend it but she also felt a bit scared. She hadn't seen the world outside of this protected spot and she was no fighter, not the way these people interpreted the word. But Elladan was and so were the rest and she would be safe. At least she hoped she would be safe.

She fell asleep slowly but she did sleep well, Elladan's presence calmed her down and the scent of him and his warmth sort of erased all worries from her mind. She slept like a log and when she woke up she was well rested and felt great. But she still felt a bit worried and Elladan helped her get dressed and they grasped their bags and left the rooms for an early breakfast. The horses were prepared, the others were ready too and Amy felt a bit as if they were hurrying a lot. The breakfast was swift, somebody had made scrambled eggs and Amy loved that, she ate a lot and she did see that the seven warriors Elrond had insisted on them bringing along were in full battle gear. Elladan had gone and gotten his armor too and so had Elrohir. Galadriel was wearing pants and a tunic and a leather armor and it was a shock seeing her like that. She just grinned and explained to Amy that she had seen her fair amount of fighting too. Amy did believe her.

The two wizards looked normal, whatever that meant, and Aiwendil was chewing on an apple with a distant expression on his face. The chefs had packed a huge amount of food and they had brought a pack horse to carry it all. Amy didn't exactly envy the poor animal but it was sturdy and strong and wouldn't have any problems carrying the weight. As soon as they were finished eating they mounted their horses and Amy was glad to see that few had showed up to say goodbye. She would have cracked had anyone come there, she hated sentimental moments. Elrond hugged his sons and told them to take care and then Galadriel gave him a swift hug and Amy did suddenly find herself at the receiving end of a hug too. Gandalf looked impatient. "We have to go, the further we get before it gets dark again the better."

Elrond smiled and nodded. " Then ride with care and don't do anything silly. I want you all back alive and well"

Elladan saluted him and the warriors formed a line behind them. "We will, don't worry."

Gandalf urged his horse forth and Amy could only hang on as her horse followed the others, she took one last look behind her as they crossed the bridge, Elrond stood there and Erestor had showed up, looking as pristine as ever. He was grasping his friends shoulder in a comforting gesture. At least Elrond wasn't alone. Amy swallowed her anxiety and turned her eyes forward, they were riding into darkness, only fate would decide if they were to emerge from it unscathed.


	13. Ride into darkness

Chapter 13: Ride into darkness, rage against the night

Amy tried to relax, and she tried not to worry but it wasn't easy. She was too aware of the sad facts of this journey and why they were travelling. Gandalf and Aiwendil were chatting in a language she didn't understand and Galadriel was chatting with Elrohir. The warriors who had been chosen to follow them rode in two groups, some in front and others behind them and she should have felt safe but she didn't Elladan and Elrohir wore light leather armor with some nice details and she could see that this was something they were used to. She realized that they both were very experienced warriors and she just wished that they had had any ammo left. She could have made herself useful if she had had a rifle.

The path was wide and well used but when the sun started to descend towards the horizon they left it to follow one less used and now Amy started to feel something rather unpleasant. A sort of tingling nagging sensation at the back of her mind, like a mosquito bite you are unable to scratch. It got stronger as they went and she soon started to squirm and make grimaces. Galadriel frowned and stared at her with those incredibly clear eyes. " Is something wrong dear?»

Amy growled and felt as if her skin was getting too small and she was restless as fuck. "I feel odd, annoyed in a way, restless"

Galadriel rode up next to her and put a long slender hand on her forehead, then she made a grimace and pulled it back. Amy immediately felt nervous. "What?"

Galadriel tried to smile. " You are no longer shielded by the power of Vilya, it seems as if something is changing"

Amy frowned and bit her lower lip, what did that mean? "Changing? What do you mean by that? Changing?»

Galadriel shrugged. "You have been within Imladris ever since you reached our world, now you are outside of it. Maybe the heritage of your father is awakening, whatever it is. You are a half vala after all, and a very special being. Let us hope it works in our favor."

Amy almost hissed. " It feels as if I have ants crawling everywhere!"

Galadriel nodded. "I could sense that yes, relax»

She reached out again and touched Amy's arm and immediately the annoying sensation died down but it didn't go away completely. Still it was enough to prevent Amy from going nuts and she let out a sigh of relief and tried to concentrate on riding. Elladan rode next to her now, and he kept her mind busy by telling about the landscape and the surroundings. There were so many tales to be told. They reached the foothills of the mountains before the night fell, they rode fast and knew the way and made camp in a small cave the twins and the warriors obviously were familiar with. Firewood was stored within it and there were hay there too and other things a traveler could need. Gandalf sat smoking his pipe and Aiwendil was feeding some mice with pieces of lembas bread, it made Galadriel put on a rather annoyed face. Elladan whispered to Amy that it was she who had baked that bread and that she didn't like the idea of it being spent in such a manner.

They got ready for the night but Amy felt more and more nervous, a new sensation had presented itself now, a feeling of being watched, constantly. It made her very jumpy but she tried to ignore it, she didn't want to make the others nervous. It took long before she fell asleep and she was tossing and turning like mad. When Elladan woke her up she felt as if she hadn't slept at all. Gandalf was tense this morning, and Amy knew why. They were getting closer to the spiders, they were just a few short miles away and Amy had noticed that they had ridden by some very large herds of deer and other animals. They were trying to escape the spiders and headed towards Imladris. Even birds were flying in that direction and Amy just wished that they had had the technology needed for flight. Then she could have flown over the goddamn arachnids and avoided them completely. But here they didn't have even the means to make a hot air balloon.

She sat explaining the different types of planes to Elladan for a while but he didn't seem to be able to understand the concept at all, maybe it wasn't such a strange thing but he claimed that his grandfather was sailing the heavens in a ship each night. Amy couldn't quite believe this and so they were at a standstill when it came to believable explanations. Amy hadn't thought that she would see the spiders from a distance but she did, they rode up onto a hill and on the hill in front of them there was a dark line and it was moving, as if the land was being engulfed by an odd sort of wave. She gasped and had to blink, was that spiders? They were humongous and she felt a sudden need to turn her horse and ride for her life.

Gandalf sighed and nodded to Galadriel. "This is it, we have to do our best now, and we cannot hesitate. We have to get past them.»

The wizards and Galadriel grasped each other's hands and the others gathered around them, as tightly as possible. A faint glow could be seen around the small group and Amy felt how panic was surging through her. The spiders were getting closer and she could hear them, a sort of hissing clicking sound that sounded frantic, and eager. The sound of their feet against the ground and the vegetation was like a muffled thunder and they were fast, oh God so fast. All running towards their goal and she could see their eyes shining and see how light reflected off their hard outer shells. They were disgusting, and it was made so much worse by the fact that they were unnatural. No arachnid ought to be that large, it was against the very laws of nature, they should have collapsed under their own weight. And they ought to suffocate too, she remembered her biology teacher explaining about the different types of insects and animals and how they were limited by the way they were breathing.

Unless this was the Triassic era there wasn't enough oxygen in the atmosphere for a spider that big but there they were, the size of a freaking horse! No wonder they were hated and feared, one bite from a thing like that and you were dead as a dodo, for sure. She almost squealed, the first spiders were just a few meters from them and the horses were rolling their eyes but they didn't move nor make a sound. The warriors were tense and she saw it, not attacking was against their instincts but they had to remain still now. Gandalf was grasping his staff and so was Aiwendil, the brown wizard had an expression of intense distaste on his face, as if he had tasted something very bad. To a lover of nature this had to be rather horrible, seeing natural beings so twisted and corrupted and ruined. The spiders sort of split and ran past them and Galadriel sent Amy a swift smile. "They think we are a cliff, a piece of rock"

Amy had to admit that it was a good idea, the spiders just kept running, not knowing there was prey close by. Having them so close was horrible and she closed her eyes and hummed to herself to forget about the horrible sound of their bodies scurrying by. She had to chuckle when she realized that she was humming to the song Fear of the dark by Maiden, it was ironic. The spiders kept coming, thousands of them, and they stood there in the middle of a veritable sea of giant arachnids for more than two hours. The last spiders to scurry by were those who were too weak to move fast, or spiders with injuries. Some lacked a leg or two or were more or less blinded but they kept going, dead set on reaching their goal.

When the last spiders were gone Gandalf let out a sigh of relief, he shook himself. "Let us just hope that our deception has worked, and that the spiders will keep going."

Galadriel was caressing her hand, as if something hurt, she grimaced. "The portal is out there, I can sense it now, more than before. We have to hurry»

Aiwendil tilted his head. "They were controlled by someone for sure, their minds completely overrun by a horrible need.»

Amy stared at the wizard. "You could sense their minds?"

Aiwendil spat and nodded. "Yes, I tried to find out who their master is but whoever or whatever it is, it was too strong, too guarded."

Gandalf huffed. "It matters not, I think we will find out in the end. Now let's ride, we have to get across the mountains."

Amy sighed and urged her horse forth and they started moving, but the feeling of being watched got just stronger. The path was leading upwards now and they had to ride in a long line, the warriors were alert the whole time and Amy had time to watch them and admire the way they worked together to keep them all safe. Elladan rode behind Amy and he smiled. "We are quite safe here, there are no orcs in this area but it could be some when we reach the lowlands again. We are north of the golden woods now and this pass is rarely used, it is so steep and wild.»

Amy had to admit that the area was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, the air so fresh and clean and the lack of human influence striking. She wondered if this was what her world had been, before the humans spread filth and destruction everywhere. Here and there they did find the carcasses of spiders and Aiwendil mumbled and told them it probably was the bodies of spiders too small to survive the cold nights during the journey. They rode past small lakes which were so crystal clear it was as if the waters wasn't even there, small patches of grassland with lovely flowers and grooves with lush trees. It was so beautiful Amy already knew she was in love with this land, it was like a version of her home made perfect.

It took them a few days to get through the mountains, and Amy sort of got used to the travelling routines, Elladan would sleep next to her at night and keep her warm and she felt protected but the odd sensation of frustration would return almost every day. They were riding down towards the forests below when one of the warriors who were riding ahead returned and looked concerned. He had seen tracks which could indicate that there were orcs near by and Amy got nervous again. She didn't want to encounter any more of those nasty critters and Elladan barked some orders. The warriors immediately reacted and rode out and Elladan explained that orcs are rather cowardly deep within. They prefer to attack their victims from behind in ambushes and the warriors would make sure that no such thing happened.

Galadriel had gotten a very dangerous glimpse in her eyes and Gandalf was almost caressing his staff, he was ready for just about anything. Elrohir had closed his eyes, he looked as if he was concentrating. "The trees, they are restless, they sense darkness, and danger.»

Elladan frowned. "Indeed, but we have to ride on, we cannot linger here.»

Aiwendil reached out and touched a branch, it was a huge old willow and the tree had to be ancient, he sort of whispered to it and the tree was creaking. Was it moving? Amy didn't believe her own eyes and Elladan just grinned. "He is a servant of Yavanna, the valie who loves and protects all green living things.»

Aiwendil made a nasty grimace. "There are orcs up ahead, a huge group. Many legs, that is what this willow says. Many legs and sharp axes"

Gandalf swore and his staff started to glow. "So, is there a way around them?»

The brown wizard shook his head. "No, they are waiting, I bet for us. "

Galadriel had an intense look upon her face. " That speaks of Sauron, but is he powerful enough to influence the portal and Amy and everything?»

Gandalf bit his teeth together. "He could be doing it in order to free his master from the void but then again, he cannot be that strong now?"

Elladan looked as if he was ready to slay something. "I do not care, but we have to get rid of those orcs.»

Amy swallowed hard. " I am no fighter, I do not even know how to use a blade»

Elladan nodded and smiled. " I know, so I suggest that you and grandma seeks refuge in a tree, while we do the dirty job»

Amy frowned. "That is a bit sexist wouldn't you agree? I bet Galadriel knows how to fight rather well"

Elladan smiled. "She does, so she will stay to protect you."

Amy felt a bit stupid. " Oh, of course.»

Galadriel rode over to a huge oak tree and jumped up into the branches and Amy climbed after her, with considerably less grace. The tree was huge and it had a giant canopy with branches so wide you could have used them as a road, they climbed until they were near the top and Amy settled in the cleft between two huge branches. Galadriel sat down next to her and handed her a knife. "Here, just in case. I do not think there is any danger here but one can never be too sure.»

Amy took the knife and the warriors rode off and she felt terribly nervous all of a sudden. What if something happened to Elladan? Galadriel touched her shoulder gently. "Worry not, they can fight, like few others"

Amy grimaced and then she sort of found a comfortable position and tried to relax. The forest was so quiet, there wasn't even a bird singing and she knew it was because of the spiders. They hadn't even crossed the river yet, and the influence of those beasts could still be felt. She grimaced and stared out over the green sea ahead of them. "So there are elves living also in this area, and this Thranduil is their king? And he isn't all that nice?»

Galadriel sighed but there was a hint of mischief in her eyes. " Oh, he can be charming, and generous and very eloquent too. But he is an isolationist as mentioned before and he has his own very adamant opinions. He doesn't like me at all, but I am not offended, he doesn't like any noldor elves at all. It isn't personal, well, not very personal.»

Amy had sort of understood that there were several different types of elves. "So you are a noldo, and he is…a sinda?"

Galadriel grinned. " Yes, a grey elf. It is a long story but he is the king of the realm since his father first was chosen to become king of the silvan and avarin elves here. The silvan and avarin elves are a wilder and more primitive type of elves, they haven't seen the light of the trees and didn't want to neither."

Amy felt a sudden sensation of foreboding, she remembered what she had been told of the silvan and avarin elves, and of their king. " He won't like that we are here will he?»

Galadriel sighed, "No, he won't. but he cannot protest since we have Aiwendil and Gandalf with us. Two maiar and a half vala ought to shut also his pie hole"

Amy was a bit curious, something told her they would encounter this king and she wanted to know more. "So, he is an isolationist, and he doesn't like outsiders. What more can you tell me?»

Galadriel chuckled. " Oh, more than he would like for sure, but he does have a son, his only child, and he lost his wife when the prince was just a toddler."

Amy sort of grimaced. "Ouch, I bet that has affected him, the twins did tell me of the prince though"

Galadriel nodded. " It has, he is a cold and calculating being Amy, if we encounter him do not allow him to play with your mind. He loved so intensely the loss fractured his fëa and that is never a good thing, some say he is a wee bit insane but I don't think so. I think he is a very dangerous foe and someone more powerful than imaginable. The three rings of power were never offered to him, and the reasons are pretty clear too»

Amy looked at Galadriel with questions written all over her face. "Oh, why?"

Galadriel stared out over the forest. "He is too powerful, with a ring he would become something so strong the balance of this world would be completely shifted. There is darkness in him Amy, a lot of hatred and ancient grudges, it could push him in the wrong direction. They say he is without emotions but that is wrong, he has too much of them but is able to camouflage his true self to an extreme degree. And those who hide their true self are easily seduced by darkness, even if they are unaware of it.»

Amy let out a sigh, " I see, so if we come across his highness, then what?»

Galadriel smiled, a sort of sad smile " Do not reveal who you really are, be human. If he does understand who you are he will regard you with great respect but he will also see if there is some way he can exploit you, he is used to getting what he wants, remember that"

Amy felt a shiver running down her spine, why she didn't know. Galadriel lifted her head, seemed to listen. "Hear, they have engaged the orcs"

Amy tilted her head, she could hear shouts and screams and roars and she felt scared, oh God, what if someone got killed? She wanted to be there, to watch over her beloved and suddenly she felt like falling and she closed her eyes and had to yelp as she suddenly felt herself standing on the ground. But she wasn't herself, everything felt different and she gasped but it came out as a huff and she frowned and didn't understand anything at all. She looked down and yelped, she could see the ground through her legs and her legs were those of a huge canine.

What the fuck?! She took a tentative step and she was real and yet not, as if she was dreaming and aware of it. But the sounds of battle were so close and she felt a strong urge to see what was happening and she also felt a strange longing, an intense hunger. It was one she had never encountered before, a burning yearning for action, to do something. She ran forward and in a small puddle of water she saw herself and what she had become. A giant wolf, pitch black with glowing eyes but not completely material, she could see the trees through her own body. Was she some sort of ghost? A spirit of some kind? She ran forth and soon she saw that the warriors and the wizards were fighting a huge group of orcs, vicious looking beasts. She was just spirit but she felt that she had to do something still, she rushed forth and realized that she was huge as a horse, and the orcs saw her and seemed to freeze.

She grasped onto one with her mouth and yes, she could in fact influence physical objects even if they obviously couldn't influence her. The orc tried to strike her with his sword and it just hit thin air and she growled and flung the orc into tree so hard it died on the spot. The hunger was there again, and she knew what it was now, a hunger to hunt, to kill. She really was the daughter of the great hunter and she just let go and started attacking orcs. The warriors saw her and their eyes were wide but they didn't interfere with her killing spree and Elladan had an expression of awe on his face. Gandalf smiled, a knowing little grin and Amy knew that he had known all along. Amy could see the souls of the orcs she killed, lights sort of polluted by darkness but the filth and fog that sort of clung to them disappeared and she knew that their souls returned to Namo uncorrupted.

Before long the battle was more or less over and she felt a tugging feeling and shuddered, opened her eyes again in the tree. Galadriel was staring down at her, the gentle eyes were filled with a sort of understanding. "You are back"

Amy got up, she felt dizzy, light headed and very confused but she started to understand that being a half vala wasn't such a bad thing. She could kick some serious ass for sure. Galadriel stroked her hair. "You are capable of so much little one. Much more than anyone can imagine, you are a hunter and never forget that. In you darkness has a great enemy."

Amy just smiled faintly, she had gotten a bit scared by herself, that wild burning want, it was frightening. She heard hooves and it was the warriors who returned, none were hurt and she sighed with relief and climbed down. Elladan embraced her. "You did help us a lot»

She took a deep breath. " I have no idea of what I really did, and what I am. It just happened"

Elladan stroked her hair. " You will learn soon enough. I am proud of you»

Gandalf was trying to relight his pipe. "The orcs were waiting for us, the fact remains, and I am not so sure it was wise. Whoever caused all this will know now, that Amy is strong"

She felt guilty right away and Aiwendil petted her back. "Do not worry, maybe that will make someone think twice before the next attack?»

Galadriel had remounted her horse and petted it. "I think we'd better ride. We have a river to cross, and a long way to go yet»

Everybody urged their horses on and Amy sort of felt even more confused than before. What in hecks name was she really? Some sort of werewolf? She bet some of her friends back home could have answered it, the natives had legends of all sorts of mysterious spirits, to them it would have been almost natural. But it sure as hell wasn't to her! They didn't reach the river that day and had to camp on top of a huge cliff. It was rather safe but they couldn't light any fires and Amy was getting tired of cold food. Elladan told her more about the inhabitants of the woodland realm, he knew the prince pretty well since Legolas had been sent to Imladris for a few years as a part of his education and he was nowhere near as stern and cold as his father. She understood that Elladan and Elrohir really liked the prince and she felt very strongly that she too would like him then. They usually seemed to be right about people, at least about whether or not they were nice.

The next day came with heavy rain and dark skies and the forest seemed like a very sinister place but Elladan said it was very nice now, since the spiders were gone. Thranduil was probably very happy about that, and Galadriel just scoffed to hide a smirk. It was obvious that she had a sort of reluctant admiration for this ruler. Amy worried about those back in Imladris, she just hoped that the young twins could keep the valley safe.

If Amy could have seen Imladris now she would have become even more nervous, the spiders had gotten very close and the twins were working very hard to recreate the girdle. They had managed to create a barrier of some sort but they didn't really know if it was strong enough, or if it would last. There was no visible panic anywhere but the elves were preparing and the elflings and the children were gathered and placed in the most solid building in the valley, just in case. Lucy and Lindir had taken it upon themselves to keep them entertained to take their minds away from it all, and Mrs Southall was helping out too. Franklin on the other hand was feeling very frustrated and useless and he wanted to fight even if he didn't have a gun. He would suck with a bow and fighting with swords against spiders wasn't such a good idea if you weren't an elf.

He sat outside of the great hall and tried to come up with a way of making himself less of a burden, the sun was shining and it was very warm too. He did notice something glistening and lifted his head, someone had attached some old shields on the wall of one of the buildings, probably to show off some ancient crests painted upon them and the shields were rather shiny. Franklin frowned, his eyes got narrow. He had played with the idea of making gun powder but he didn't think they had the needed ingredients and he was no chemist after all. But what if they used what nature gave them? He got up and ran to the office where Elrond was having a meeting with Glorfindel. The two elves looked at him with confusion, he too had gotten a swift treatment by Galadriel and knew how to speak elvish but in his eagerness he was speaking so fast nobody could understand anything and he had to slow down. Elrond petted him on his back. "Slow down, easy there. What do you mean shields?"

Franklin took a deep breath. "When I was a kid there was this one boy back home who was a bit of a bad one, he would use these magnifying glasses to burn living things, like roaches and mice and other small beings. But if you make a huge shiny surface and curves it just right it can focus the sunbeams too, and burn bigger things as well"

Glorfindel frowned. "You think we can burn the spiders?"

Franklin nodded eagerly, he was almost jumping up and down like a madman. "Yes, the valley has steep sides, and the sun is strong at this time of the year too. It may work"

Elrond looked as if he was thinking hard. " I know Fëanor was thinking of turning light into a weapon, he just never got that far, thank Eru. But it is possible, I know it has been done. What do we need?»

Franklin felt very glad, finally he could do something real. "Shields, metal shields, and all the blacksmiths there is here.»

Elrond stared at Glorfindel. "Right, go and help him, gather all the shields you can find and make the extra guards help hammer them into shape, and polish them. I want them placed up by the waterfalls by sunset.»

Glorfindel just gaped. "Sunset? Oh Eru, then we have to work like maniacs!"

Elrond nodded. "Yes, so you'd better be going right now!"

Glorfindel grasped onto Franklin and towed him out and they ran to the armory. The tall elf was shouting orders to the soldiers they passed by and before long the forges were lit and the smiths sweating, heating up shields. There was a loud thunder of hammers and Franklin had to show them the right shape and he became the one to inspect the finished results and determine whether or not they were good enough. Some elves polished the shields until they became like mirrors and others mounted them on simple wooden racks so they could be turned and aimed at the target.

Franklin was stunned by how fast the elves were working, the smiths were hammering away and he knew that humans would have gotten exhausted a long time ago. As the sun started to set the shields were carried into position and Franklin saw that Elrond had understood the idea right away. From where the shields got placed they would have access to the valley the whole day. And the entrances would be easily reached as well, it was an ingenious way of using the sunlight. Franklin started to think again, was there more he could do to help? Some other weapon they could exploit against the spiders? He had thought of landmines, but they didn't have explosives and he knew the spiders would be in the trees and everywhere so it would have been inefficient at best. They didn't have gas or other flammable liquids other than strong liquor so Molotov cocktails were out of the question too. Franklin had always been a good thinker, one capable of making the best out of a bad situation and he remembered what he had learned as a recruit. Every enemy has a weakness, most more than one. You just have to find it and use it, and if you cannot find it then use their strength against them.

At home he would have used a box of pesticide to get rid of spiders but they didn't have that here, or did they? He went to Elrond again and asked if they had any strong poisons, in the form of powder. The healer did understand what he wanted to achieve but they didn't have that much of such substances, but Elrond did follow his train of thought and suggested that they could use some sort of very light powder to suffocate them. After all, spiders breathe through openings in their skin and if those got blocked?

Franklin liked the idea and they agreed that very fine flour was the solution, it would harm no other beings and it got sticky whence it got wet too. So Elrond sent some young guards off to pour flour into small bags of thin fabric, and they obeyed although they didn't quite understand why they had to do this.

Elured and Elurin had really tapped into their inherited maiar powers, and they couldn't be disturbed , they needed to focus solely on the barrier. It was draining them but Elrond used his ring to give them more power and Franklin hoped that the barrier would be able to hold most of the spiders out. The weapons he had suggested could perhaps kill some but not all. That night the valley was rather quiet and nobody was drinking, the warriors had to have clear heads and doors and windows were barred and secured. Franklin didn't feel scared, it was odd but he had sort of accepted the situation and was ready to face the enemy. Lucy and the others had gathered and were ready too and he only wondered if Amy was safe and if she would be able to close the portal. He didn't understand all these things that were happening but he did understand that she was something very different from what she had believed she was. He didn't blame her for the situation, some things just couldn't be helped and he knew she hadn't meant for any of it to happen. But he did miss his rifle, a lot!

The next morning the sun was shining and Franklin let out a sigh of relief, the shields were in position and everybody was ready. Scouts came riding, telling the spiders had gathered along the barrier. They tried to get through but didn't manage to penetrate it and everybody looked very relieved. Franklin just hoped that their luck would hold.

Amy and the others crossed the river and she got wet since her horse did slide on a rock, being wet always made her react like a cat and she hissed and shook herself and her mood plummeted towards a rather dark place. She got some dry clothes on and Elladan cheered her up but she sort of felt annoyed still. But soon she got other things to think about, the woods they were riding through were clearly not normal. It looked and felt just wrong and Galadriel told her it was sick and that the disease had been spreading for a long time. The king of the realm had moved north because of it years ago and his residence was within underground caves. Amy didn't know if she liked that, caves? She had had enough of that for a long time thank you very much. But the spiders were absent and that was at least one thing for which they were grateful. Galadriel tried to locate the portal and now it seemed to have moved further north and eastwards. That put it dangerously close to the king's palace and Galadriel didn't look as if she liked that at all.

But the journey didn't go smoothly just because the spiders were occupied elsewhere, the forest seemed set upon stopping them and Aiwendil had to use his magic to subdue the trees. It was dark and the air smelled of something which had been dead a long time and even the few brooks they came across looked like something you ought to stay clear off. Amy felt a very strong sense of disgust, this was just wrong and she mourned the fact that this had been a very beautiful forest once upon a time. These elves saw things in a timespan that just made her shocked, a millennia was nothing to them. Dead branches fell of the trees, as if they were trying to hit them, roots were moving and trying to trap their legs and Amy felt dizzy and confused the entire time. And something was watching her, the entire time. Something was waiting, patiently but with ill intent and she felt more and more nervous. It was as if there was a veil pulled in front of her, blurring everything, and behind it was something terrible. She could feel it constantly and she had no idea of what it was.

But whatever it was it didn't show itself and the dying forest just made her more and more depressed. It was morbid and the whole thing reminded her of a very bad horror movie, Galadriel often sort of helped her stay strong by touching her but it was draining her strength just to be there. She felt indifferent and she started to suspect that it was a feeling only she felt. She was being targeted and Galadriel felt that she was right about her assumptions. Whatever it was, it was afraid of Amy and her powers and Amy tried to understand what part of her this thing wanted to subdue. She remembered the feeling she had had when she killed those orcs as a wolf spirit and slowly she started to understand that maybe it was that rage that was needed. And so she allowed it to bloom within her mind and it sort of showed the feeling of hopelessness away and gave her some strength again.

They had ridden through the dark forest for some days when they first encountered wood elves, they weren't that far from the source of all the filth, a hill where once the palace of Thranduil's father Oropher had stood. It had become a ruin by now, and darkness festered within it. Galadriel felt that the portal had been there for a while but it had moved and yet there was a connection somewhere. They were riding along a rather narrow path when they suddenly found themselves to be surrounded by elves clad in forest colors, they wore hoods and seemed to have sprouted out of the ground and Amy stared at the beautiful faces and did really believe that these were fierce beings indeed. A tall one stepped forth and said something loud and the others lowered their bows, Amy felt a little better right away. The elf pushed down his hood and Amy had to stare, he was angelic. Too pretty to be true was what she was thinking at first and then she realized that this had to be the prince and tried to look at least a wee bit dignified. Elladan and Elrohir jumped off their horses with cheerful shouts and hugged the prince who hugged them back, just as eagerly and Elladan smiled and pulled Amy off the horse with a proud grin. "Legolas, let me introduce you to my wife, this is Amy»

Legolas blinked twice, his eyes got huge and for a brief moment he did look rather silly. "Wife? Have you gotten married? Is the world going mad?"

Amy felt a bit odd, the elf was staring at her with an expression of pure shock. She knew she was different but not that much? Legolas shook his head, tried to regain his composure. "Congratulations mellon, she is stunning.»

Elladan was beaming with pride and Elrohir was snickering, Legolas bent politely and kissed Amy's hand and she sort of got the impression that he was very kind and smart, not just an overly pretty face. If his father was this gorgeous then he would have put all the world's supermodels to shame. Elladan held Amy's hand. "We are here on serious business, we need to speak with your father.»

Legolas made a grimace. "He has sensed your presence yes, and I have been sent to bring you to him. Something is happening Dan, and I do not like it. The forest feels…angry»

Galadriel had been sitting silently on her horse but now she lifted her head and sort of sniffed the air. "Then lead the way, for we are in a hurry. Your realm may be in danger, as are the rest of our world»

Legolas frowned but nodded and the other forest elves started to move, they were gliding like shadows through the trees. Amy was holding on to Elladan's hand and Legolas stared at her, his eyes were narrow. "She looks human but isn't? I can sense it, who is she?"

Elladan took a deep breath. "She is a half vala Legolas, daughter of Oröme, a lightbringer.»

Legolas let out a small gasp, then he got a very serious expression upon his face. "Oh Eru, then do not let my father know of that, for he is not who he used to be and he will try to use her in some manner"

Elladan got a dark expression upon his face. "He'd better stay away from her, or else I will forget he is royalty»

Legolas just mumbled something and Elladan smiled at Amy but she saw the dark glimpse within his eyes. "Do not let him intimidate you, and try to never be alone with him. I do not trust Thranduil at all, he sees only his own realm and his own people as worth protecting"

Amy swallowed hard, this would become interesting for sure. "Alright, I will remember that"

Legolas sent Elladan a warning glance. "Stay by her side, and make sure he knows she is yours, ada….he has a thing for the dark haired curvy ones"

Amy sighed. Great, a manipulative probably seductive megalomaniac king, she couldn't wait to meet him.


	14. The face of an enemy

Chapter 14: The face of an enemy

Amy hadn't really known what to expect when they said that the palace was a cave. She had sort of thought of the caves they had sought refuge in when they were so abruptly transported to this world, but the word cave did have many meanings. She just stared at the two giant doors and frowned, the mountain looked like nobody ever had done anything to it at all except carving two doors out of it and she took a deep breath as they got off and walked over the bridge. She had imagined some dark dank place with molds and stuff but the cave was so huge she just gaped, and then it got even grander. There were bridges everywhere and huge chasms and waterfalls and tunnels and she wondered if this was some miracle of nature or if someone had carved this. Elladan held a hand on her shoulder whispering. "These caves are wonderful but they say that the lost kingdom of Doriath was even grander."

She had a hard time believing just that, this was beyond description and she was just staring as they walked forth towards what had to be a sort of dais with a throne upon it. Galadriel walked next to her now and she had a hard expression within her eyes, Amy realized that the tall elleth really expected trouble and Amy felt that she tensed up, this could get nasty. Aiwendil and Gandalf were whispering to each other in a language Amy didn't understand and the warriors were at the back. Elrohir walked behind Elladan and he looked a bit nervous too, as if he was afraid that Elladan would do something stupid. There were masked guards everywhere and Amy admired the style of their armor, it did look very organic and yet she had no doubt that it was efficient and strong too. The air there was nothing like the air of an ordinary cave, it did smell of forest and she did see that there were gardens here and there, hit by beams of light coming from above.

Legolas was walking ahead and he stepped up to the dais and bowed his head. "Aran nin, the travelers are here, as you requested"

Amy realized that Legolas acted as a subject when he was around his father in public, not as a prince or a son. She raised her gaze and had to gasp involuntarily. The king was indeed majestic, taller than anyone she had ever seen and even more beautiful than his son, but it was a very hard and cold beauty and the eyes were like sapphires. Cool and calculating and he did look spectacular but the beauty was a façade, she could sense it. She held her eyes down and Thranduil got up with the lazy elegance of a huge feline and stepped down from the throne, she just waited for him to trip on those ridiculously long robes but that didn't happen, unfortunately.

"So, I have invaders in my realm? To what do I owe the honor of thy company?"

His voice was filled with sarcasm and Amy could feel Galadriel tensing up, she said nothing, they had agreed that Aiwendil ought to do the talking, he was after all a servant of Yavanna and the wood elves did worship her. The somewhat shaggy looking Istari walked forth and bowed politely. "My lord king, we would not have entered your realm if we didn't absolutely had to, great danger is lurking within its boundaries"

Thranduil cocked his head, there was a sort of sneer on his lips and Amy stood half hidden behind Elladan and saw that he was getting interested but that he tried to hide and camouflage it as scorn. " In my eyes the danger has left us, there are no longer spiders here, and I am not eager to watch them return"

Aiwendil had a sort of silly grin on his face, he looked a bit insane. "Of course not, and if we are lucky they never will. But great and terrible magic is at work my lord, dark magic. A gateway to the very darkness itself has opened up and it is hidden somewhere in your forest, not far from the palace"

Thranduil didn't move or make any sort of gestures but Amy was very sensitive to body language, after all, as a park ranger she had to be able to tell if someone was lying when she asked them if they had brought food items and stored them in their car, or if they had remembered to pay for the use of the public restrooms and so on. He had tensed up, just a wee bit but she did see it. He knew what Aiwendil was talking about. "Do continue"

The voice was flat and without any emotions but she could sense that he was shocked that they knew and the wizard tilted his head. "We think that some dark force is trying to bring Ungoliant back, to free Morgoth before his time has come to break free. And that force will use that portal to its advantage"

Thranduil tilted his head, Amy had to swallow. How could a being that breathtakingly beautiful be that scary? He was inhuman, that was the answer. "And you are on your way to close that portal or am I wrong?"

Aiwendil shrugged. "You are not wrong your majesty, we are indeed here to try and close it up"

The king stared at the group, his eyes were distant and he made a small gesture which was hardly visible. "My people have reported great disturbances within my forest, and the trees are telling of fear and death. You are welcome to fight this enemy, better you than my own subjects. But whence did that portal come from in the first place? What purpose have it served?"

Gandalf took a deep breath, he tried to smile. "The valar wanted to bring back the twin sons of Dior Eluchil, they were brought to safety in another world my lord, to survive the sacking of Doriath. But something went a bit awry and well, the dark force did take advantage of their effort"

Thranduil did tense up again, and Amy saw that the blue eyes got a new expression. "The sons of Dior? How is that possible?"

Gandalf smiled, stiffly. "The valar may answer that question my lord. They brought the two young Ellyn back to our world and with them a small group of humans they had been travelling with."

Thranduil turned his head a bit, his eyes got narrow. "I see a human among you, step forth!"

It was an order and Elladan touched Amy's arm gently, she stepped out from behind him and held her head high, she didn't want to cover before this impressive being, after all, she wasn't some dainty little thing. Thranduil reacted visibly, he tilted his head and his eyes did sparkle, there was some genuine interest in the cold blue eyes and he smirked. "An adeneth, and who may you be little one?"

Amy felt herself starting to get annoyed, her skin did prickle and she was about to say something less than polite when Elladan sort of broke into the conversation. "Her name is Amy, she is a ranger, and my wife"

Thranduil raised an eyebrow and there was amusement in his expression. "Your wife peredhel? Well, I am not surprised, your kin have always aimed downwards"

Amy realized that the king in fact was regarding her as a lowly being, worth far less than an elf and she almost hissed but managed to keep her face neutral. The king did stare at her still and she didn't like the expression on his face, it was even more calculating than before and his eyes did cling to her chest a wee bit too long. She remembered that Legolas had said the king liked the curvy ones and she swallowed hard, she just hoped that there wouldn't be problems now. She guessed that the king was used to get whatever or whoever he wanted and that he wouldn't take it nicely if he was openly rejected.

Thranduil seemed to openly ignore Galadriel but Amy saw that the golden haired elleth had a sour expression for a few seconds and her eyes were glittering. Had they been talking together using telepathy? She guessed that they had for the king sort of sneered and then he smiled, a rather fake smile. "You are of course welcome as my guest, I have asked the servants to prepare rooms for you, and tonight we will throw a feast in your honor. There has been a long time since we last were **_honored_** with the presence of a noldo"

The word honored was said with so much ardor and spite nobody could mistake it for anything but what it really was, sheer bitterness. Amy just hoped that the king would see the light of reason and not hinder them in any way. Some elves showed up wearing some sort of uniform and she did notice a rather tall dark haired ellon who looked tired and stressed out. She had never thought that this was possible for an elf but there he was and he wore a nicer uniform than the others. Elladan whispered to her. "Galion, the kings personal butler, he has the least enviable job on Arda"

Amy fought the urge to giggle and they followed the servants towards an area of the palace which obviously was meant for guests. Huge rooms were placed along several corridors and everything was carved from the rock with a sort of beauty which was breathtaking. There were vines and branches and flowers and it looked a bit like a petrified forest. Amy and Elladan got a rather grand room and it was dominated by a bed so large a whole football team could have slept there, comfortably. Elladan sighed. " He is a very good host, for he loves to show off his wealth, class and style to everyone, and he loves to party too, so don't drink too much of the wine tonight, he is infamous for serving the really strong stuff to his guests, to see if they sort of lose their control and make fools of themselves."

Amy just sent him a somewhat stiff smile as an answer, this king was obviously not someone you wanted as an enemy at all. The room had an adjacent bathroom with a huge pool and Elladan grinned. " At least we will be comfortable here, I think I need a bath"

Amy sniffed herself discretely, oh damnation, she did too. She did smell like a pigsty and her clothes were covered with mud and filth, she probably looked like some wild thing. "I need a bath too love, a hot one!"

There were thick warm towels placed on a bench by the pool and Elladan stripped off and got in and Amy wasn't far behind him. The water was warm and perfumed and she had to made a grimace, these wood elves seemed to favor sweet scents and she wasn't exactly fond of that. She remembered a girl she had known when she was at college, she had been in her class and if Amy ever had seen a living make up doll it was that one. She had been wearing at least half an inch of paint every day and she had smelled as if a bomb had gone off inside of a perfume makers work shop. Most had preferred to sit as far away from her as possible and one kid had even suffered a very serious allergic reaction because of all the perfume. But the girl had refused to reduce her use of the stuff, she claimed that it was her right to smell good and so some friends of Amy had gathered one night and gotten into miss smelly's room and replaced all her perfume with water. It had worked for a few days, then it got worse than ever.

But a hot bath felt heavenly now and Amy leaned against the pool wall and just relaxed, she didn't want to think about the job ahead, or the visions Galadriel had had. There was some nice shampoo there and they helped each other with their hair and afterwards they dried up just relaxing on the benches. The place was really nice and Amy wished that she could explore more of these caves but Elladan warned her that the king would disapprove of it and think of her as a spy or worse. As long as she could remain relatively anonymous it was a huge benefit. When they had gotten dry Elladan showed her some dressing gowns and she started worrying about the party, she had nothing to wear but he assured her that the king would provide them with proper clothing. In fact it only took about half an hour before a couple of ellith came knocking on the door with several gowns in their arms and Amy suddenly felt like a mannequin doll. She was a bit shorter and more curvy than the ellith but they did find a dress which was fitting her and it was very lovely in a sort of dark orange color with embroidered vines and flowers. It did make her skin glow and brought out the full color of her hair and she felt a bit silly wearing it. She suddenly looked almost ladylike and Elladan obviously found the result adorable judging by his expression.

The two seamstresses were nice and polite and quite chatty too and Amy soon had gotten a good overview of the local gossip. It was rather clear that they both tried to warn her though, the king apparently liked to test if he could seduce the wives of guests and she was just the kind of woman he would try to be alone with. Amy sighed and promised to be careful, she had fought off unpleasant dudes before but she doubted that the knee in the nuts trick would work here. Elladan helped her with her hair and then Galadriel entered the room. She wore a very light green dress which did look amazing on her, if Thranduil disliked her he didn't show it by offering ugly clothes, that was for sure. The golden haired elleth sat down on the bed and her eyes were narrow, there was a distant expression within them and Elladan frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Galadriel made a vague gesture. " No, and yes. I sense something here, something within this very palace but I cannot see what it is. Gandalf and Aiwendil have felt it too, some sort of presence but it is very vague and very weak."

Elladan tilted his head, looked very alert all of a sudden. "Hostile?"

She nodded. "Very, but like I said, it is so vague. I don't think the inhabitants of this realm have noticed, it is hiding whatever it is"

Elladan almost sneered. " I will not leave Amy's side even for a second, that is for sure"

Galadriel nodded. "Good, I will try to say close to, I fear it may be needed."

Amy felt nervous, not at all ready for a party and Elladan petted her back and rubbed it. "Don't worry, we are here and we will protect you. No enemy can do much when we are gathered, and grandmother is very powerful"

Galadriel just smiled for a second, a fond smile and Amy yet again thought of the sheer absurdity of this woman being a grandmother, she didn't look to be any older than her grandsons. "And the king is not without powers, I think it is rather safe here but one can never be too sure"

Galadriel reached into her small bag and pulled something out, it was a small piece of glass or was it a jewel? It wasn't large at all, perhaps twice the size of Amy's fingernails and elongated. She took it hesitantly and Galadriel nodded and smiled. "This will glow if evil is near, keep it close and don't lose it."

Elladan stared at the piece of golden material and his eyes were large. "Is that one of the jewels Celebrimbor made?"

Galadriel nodded. "Indeed it is, the last one, so Amy, consider yourself very luckily, I wouldn't have given it to anyone not worthy of it."

Amy understood that this was something special and she hid it in a pocket in her dress, and made sure it was secure there. It was so small so nobody would notice its presence. Galadriel got up. "The party will start soon, Amy, try to stay close to Dan or Ro, Gandalf and Aiwendil have got your back too so just try to relax and enjoy"

Amy cringed, enjoy?! Yeah right, it would be as enjoyable as masturbating with a raw iron, but she would at least pretend to having a good time. Galadriel left after giving Elladan a swift peck on the cheek and giving Amy a swift hug and Elladan took a deep breath. "You are my wife so you will be placed next to me by the table, and if there is dancing you would be impolite if the king asks for a dance and you reject him. But do not accept any sort of bullshit and try not to say anything which can tell him you are more than a human being"

She nodded and Elladan took a final check of her hair and gown. "You look great dear, so no point in delaying this anymore."

She took a deep breath and took his arm, she didn't look forward to this at all. The great hall was decorated with lots of candles and fresh flowers and it did look great. There were many elves gathered there already and they were chatting away rather merrily. The king sat at the end of a huge table and Elrohir and Galadriel were already seated. Elladan bowed slightly and took a seat next to Galadriel and Amy sat down next to him. The king was smiling and he did look cheerful but Amy could see that his eyes were cold as ever and she wondered what it was that had turned this elf into such a very calculating creature. Legolas came and sat down next to his father and Amy couldn't see the two Istari anywhere but after a few minutes they showed up, looking a bit stressed out. Aiwendil had cobwebs everywhere and he was squinting and Gandalf had a stern expression upon his face and his eyes were a bit dark. Thranduil cocked his head and smirked. "You two look as if you have been lost in my cellars?"

Gandalf just smiled, a very curt smile. "Oh we went looking for your library and found only a dead end, with a lot of cobwebs."

The king smirked. "Well, getting lost down there is rather easy, so be aware."

Gandalf sat down next to Amy and sent her a friendly smile. "You look great dear, that dress is really fitting"

She realized that there was something else he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't say anything there and then. She just played with her sleeves and pretended to be an ordinary and a bit vain woman, blushing slightly from the praise. "Thank you!"

Some servants started carrying trays of food into the hall and others came with carafes of wine and mead and some with fruit juice. The food was mostly vegetarian but there was a little meat too and some fish and before long there was singing and chatting going on everywhere and the atmosphere was very playful. The king was smiling and speaking with some other sindar elves and Elladan whispered that it was his advisors and that they were old as the very hills themselves and quite locked up in their old ways. Both Elladan and Galadriel did their best to keep Amy entertained with tales of the different elves they saw there and stories from the realm and she found that she in fact was enjoying herself. The food was excellent and the wine too and she was laughing and having a great time.

But she did notice that Gandalf and Aiwendil never strayed far from her and Elladan were within a foot's distance the whole time. Luckily there wasn't any dancing and Amy did take a huge sigh of relief. She had no idea of how to dance and she was as elegant on a dancefloor as a dead drunk moose in a china store. Aiwendil was trying to drink some mead, most of it spilled down his robes but they were so dirty nobody would notice. He leaned forward and held onto Amy's shoulder in a half drunken gesture and he had a silly grin on his face but she could see that he wasn't drunk at all. He was pretending. He sort of leaned in over her and then he whispered. "There is something here for sure, but it is hiding very well. And it is dark, very dark"

She shuddered. "Thanks for the warning"

Aiwendil just smiled again, a very silly drunk smile and waddled off and Elladan took her hand and kissed her. Some stared at them but Amy didn't care, he was showing everybody that she was his and so she answered the kiss with zeal. More food was served and more wine and she started to feel tired. The king was still sitting there drinking and chatting and he did look rather happy. Legolas sat by his side and looked utterly bored and some other young Ellyn were gathered by a table not far from them and it was rather obvious that he wanted to join them but couldn't until his father gave him permission. Amy did pity the poor elf, being a prince probably wasn't that much fun at all. Amy was leaning against Elladan when the king finally got up, he said something and Elladan whispered to her that this meant that the elves could leave the party now if they wanted to. Amy felt like finding the huge bed and sleeping for days and Elladan put his arm around her waist and hoisted her up. Elrohir walked up to them and pretended to be telling his brother something rather silly but in reality he was guarding their backs.

They were to leave the hall when Amy suddenly felt a warm sensation near her waist and she stared down, there was a distinct glow coming from her pocket and she gasped. Elladan tensed up for a second, then he sort of waved his hand at Galadriel and the Istari and Gandalf got up and went over to the king, bowing and apparently excusing himself. Amy saw that Galadriel had started to stare at the surroundings, her eyes hard and she was caressing her hand. Amy remembered about the rings of power and she suspected that Galadriel was getting ready to use hers. The jewel was glowing like crazy by now and it felt as if it was throbbing. Thranduil had listened to Gandalf and he shouted something, Amy didn't understand the language he used and assumed that it was the language of the wood elves. Immediately several armed guards showed up with bows and quivers and Legolas had drawn his knives. Amy was astonished to see that the king was sober as a rock, or at least he appeared to be sober. He had two very elegant and unique swords in his hands and she didn't doubt that he could use them with expert technique.

The party goers were leaving the hall with guards following them and Amy couldn't see any danger anywhere. The room looked normal like before but Galadriel sort of hissed and Aiwendil looked as if he had tasted something very nasty. Gandalf nodded at Galadriel, his eyes were burning and he held his staff in front of them, it was glowing faintly and Elrohir had placed himself behind Amy while Elladan stood next to her. Both had drawn their dirks and Galadriel made a gesture. " It is hiding in the shadows, I can sense it. "

Thranduil got closer to them, he held his blades ready and the face was a cool mask but Amy knew that he too sensed that something was wrong. She saw nothing which indicated any sort of danger but then she did notice that the shadows on the opposite side of the hall were darker than they ought to be, and they moved. It looked as if someone had spilled ink onto a piece of paper, it was sort of gliding forth very slowly but with determination and she felt her heart beating like a drum. Thranduil hissed and shouted something which sounded like a challenge and Amy could have sworn she heard something laughing. Then the blackness suddenly got darker and it had substance, like oil running over a smooth surface and she heard a shrieking sound as long tentacles of darkness shot forth and tried to reach them. Or rather, it tried to reach her! Galadriel raised her hand and a bright white light spread in front of them, like a shield and Gandalf too contributed with a more red light. There was a loud and very angry hiss and darkness formed a sort of dome, trying to get to them.

Galadriel was chanting something which sounded very powerful and Aiwendil was waving his staff, that too was some sort of protection. Amy did hear a shrieking voice, distorted and vile and it contained quite a lot of power, the being behind it was confident for sure. Galadriel was glowing now, and her eyes looked black in comparison, the bright light was so strong it hurt looking at it and the dark substance was clawing at it, no other word could describe it. Gandalf looked angry, almost frightening. "Someone, we need to distract the thing"

Amy saw that the king made a gesture and immediately a shower of arrows burst forth and disappeared into the dark mass. There was a loud and terrible scream and Gandalf bared his teeth and the light from his staff got very strong indeed and Galadriel did shout something while raising her hand abruptly. For a second the darkness sort of constricted into a shape, it looked humanoid and even female and then there was a boom and it was gone, like it never had been there. Amy was shivering and Elladan held her close, he was nervous too. Galadriel stopped glowing, she looked tired and Gandalf got over and offered her his arm, she accepted with a swift smile. Thranduil sheathed his blades and walked over, his eyes were a bit large and revealed his shock. "Was that the thing which have opened that portal and frightened my people?"

Galadriel took a deep breath and nodded. " It was, we have been idiots"

Amy stared at her, confused and shocked and Thranduil cocked his head. " It was after the adeneth? Why? What is so special with her? And what in the name of Eru was that thing?"

Gandalf made a grimace. "We thought it was Sauron who was behind this, but we have been ignorant and we have forgotten a very important truth. Sauron wasn't the only Maia to follow Morgoth"

Thranduil frowned. He did look rather intimidating that way and Amy did notice that he was looking at her again, with curiosity and a bit of anger too. Galadriel leaned onto Gandalf. "We have forgotten that Sauron wasn't the only servant of Morgoth, nor the oldest. There were stronger maiar bound to the fallen vala and this is one of them. "

Thranduil stared at Galadriel and it was very clear that he demanded an answer. " Who?"

Galadriel stared down. "Thuringwethil, who else?"

Amy swallowed." Thuring who?"

Elladan made a sort of rather stiff smile. "A female maia, a vampire with great power. She disappeared during the war of wrath and nobody have had any idea of where she went!"

Amy felt a need to giggle, a vampire? Great! She could bet her dirty underwear it wasn't some sparkly twilight vampire then, more like the ones from the really old movies. " I bet she is rather bad-ass then?"

Galadriel nodded. "Immensely powerful, she did serve Morgoth willingly but that was probably just because he allowed her to do whatever she wanted"

Amy cringed. "Ouch, so she wants to bring her boss back?"

Aiwendil had an insane expression within his eyes. "Not necessarily no, she is strong enough in herself. She wants Ungoliant as a servant, as a slave. It is rather obvious, she wants to be the new dark lord"

Thranduil sneered. " That will not happen within my woods for certain, we have enough with Sauron damn it, and two dark entities are two too many."

Gandalf shrugged. "That is true, we cannot allow her to succeed."

Thranduil stared at Amy again. " It wanted this adeneth, why? I want an answer!"

Galadriel put a hand on Amy's shoulder. "She is a half vala, the daughter or Oromë."

Thranduil did for a second look as if the moon had fallen from the skies and his eyes were huge. "Oromë's daughter? How is that possible?"

Galadriel took a deep breath. "Well, a good question but the valar sometimes work in mysterious ways. They needed her powers to create the portal, I guess they somehow did foresee that something like this could happen"

Thranduil took a deep breath. " A half vala, that changes things a lot. "

Galadriel still held Amy by her shoulder and the hand felt very warm. " Yes, I guess that Thuringwethil needs Amy to get Ungoliant into our world, as a sort of portal in herself. "

Thranduil frowned. " And if Amy was dead?"

Galadriel just smiled stiffly. " You know my powers Thranduil and I have seen mayhem and death emerge from the ashes of this fight, but we cannot know if it is caused by her death or if her dying will prevent it"

Thranduil almost sneered. " How convenient. I guess we'll see in the end"

Legolas broke into the conversation. "So, now we know our enemy, where do we take it from now?"

Galadriel tried to smile. "We rest, then we go out into the woods and find the darn portal and close it"

The king cocked his head. " And if you cannot close it?"

Gandalf sort of banged his staff against the floor. "We will solve that problem if it appears, do not worry yourselves with unneeded fear"

Amy stared at Galadriel. " So we are to go out there tomorrow?"

Galadriel nodded. " We cannot wait, she knows that we know now. We have to act fast"

Thranduil had a sour expression on his face. " And what if this was a rouse, to make us act too fast?"

Galadriel tilted her head. " We will deal with it in time, it is the only way"

Thranduil just sneered again and Amy decided that she didn't want to trust him, not a bit. Elladan took her hand. " Come meleth, let us get some rest. You are tired and so am I to be honest"

Amy followed him and didn't look back, she felt quite shaken and had to think of what they now knew. A maia, one which had followed Morgoth? That was quite an enemy and where did this being fit into Galadriel's visions? The room seemed peaceful enough and Elladan grasped her jewel and placed it on the nightstand. " Gandalf have placed spells upon the room, we are safe in here."

Amy just sighed. " Oh I wonder about that, what was this Thuringwethil like really? A ghastly beast or the opposite?"

Elladan made a grimace. " I don't know that much about her, but she did travel as a bat quite often. "

Amy snorted. " Great, we have legends of vampires in my world too, she shouldn't happen to be allergic to garlic, crosses and holy water?"

Elladan just looked confused and Amy sighed. " What about wooden stakes?"

He just shrugged. " Like I said, I don't really know"

Amy got out of the gown and crawled into the bed, her head was spinning like mad and she doubted that she would find any real sleep. Elladan grasped onto her and laid there embracing her and that felt so good that she did fall asleep after all. Elladan stared at the ceiling for quite a time, he was afraid but he couldn't show it. If he lost Amy he would fade for certain but she was a half vala, could she die? He had a peculiar feeling of dreading the answer, what if she was more powerful than they could imagine?

Galadriel and Gandalf had found a small alcove and they stood there staring down at the grand hall, both looked tired and Galadriel was playing with her ring. "I fear her more than I would Sauron, at least we know him and know him well. This is a new enemy, one we didn't anticipate to meet. "

Gandalf was staring out into the distance. "There has to be something we can use against her, something which is a weakness. I will try to remember more, but go find some rest my lady. You need it"

Galadriel took a deep sigh. " I fear that tomorrow will be a day when we all will face our demons and be tested like never before. Yes, I will rest"

She smiled and walked off and Gandalf remained standing there, leaning against the wall. He was not sure of how he was to deal with this, their enemy was of his kind but twisted and corrupted and he grasped onto his staff with a determined expression. She could be beaten, but he feared that they would have to use less than savory methods to come out victorious.

Back in Imladris the spiders had been stopped by the border, but they were a terrifying sight and Franklin just hoped that the girdle would hold. Elured and Elurin were stronger than anyone could have guessed but even their strength did have its limitations. Elrond was helping using his ring but they all relied upon the group which had left. They had to get rid of the root of the problem fast. By the morning there was a sort of wall of spiders surrounding the entire area and Franklin had aimed the mirrors at the places which would be hard to defend. The warriors had gotten new arrows too, Franklin had showed the smiths drawings of arrow heads he knew the special ops used and they were made to pierce armor so some replicas had been tested on a dead spider and it went straight through its thick head. They had also used a lot of tar and other flammable substances and could ignite it and some of the younger elves had made hundreds of thin ceramic jars which they filled with oil. That too would burn rather well and Franklin felt that they were prepared rather well.

The sound of the spiders were unnerving though, a hissing and clattering which was wicked indeed, there was no doubt about the evil intent of the creatures and they were attacking the wall deliberately, to find a weak spot. The warriors were ready and the civilians had moved into the sturdier buildings which could protect them even from these beasts. Franklin had gotten an armor and felt silly, but he knew it would come in handy if some of the beasts did make it through. He did also carry two axes with very elegant elongated blades and they were made in special to hack through spider legs. He hoped he wouldn't have to use them but the chances were that they would be tested before this was over. It seemed as if this would be yet another day without any great incidents when one of the warriors let out a shout and pointed towards one of the waterfalls. Something dark came tumbling down with the water and it wasn't hard to tell what it was, spiders! The waterfall was high, very high, and the falling spiders got crushed by the fall but more appeared above the drop and managed to cling onto the surface of the rock itself.

Franklin swore and one of the elves made a grimace. "Magic weakens over flowing water, they have found a weakness in the girdle"

Franklin took a deep breath. "Aim the mirrors at the top of the waterfall, burn the bastards"

The elves obeyed and the mirrors were pivoted around so the bright beams hit the top just a the right spot. And they were efficient too, before long burning exploding spiders rained down from the steep cliff face and Franklin just hoped that the sun wouldn't go away soon. It was their main defense now and from that rock face the spiders could spread out rather easily. Franklin did order the archers to fire at will and they did. The spiders which escaped the death rays got shot but for how long could they keep them at bay?

Elrond came running and he strengthened the protection in that area so much that the flow of spiders seized, he looked exhausted afterwards and Franklin took a deep breath of air and knew that it was just a matter of time before the critters found yet another weakness. Could they have any hope of stemming this tide of mutated monsters or would this be their last resting place? Franklin was glad he had good warriors by his side, if this was his final stand he didn't mind facing the end when he fought alongside such excellent fighters but he would prefer to stay alive. Now they could just pray that Amy and the others managed to do what they had planned on doing, before it was too late.


	15. Not exactly Dracula

Chapter 15: Not exactly Dracula…

Amy woke up with a start, she felt tired and sore and realized that she had been so tense she hadn't relaxed at all but slept like a tightly curled up ball of twine. Elladan was awake and he raised a hand and caressed her cheek. "There you are, it is time to get up now"

Amy groaned and rolled her eyes, she wanted to stay in bed forever. It felt safe but she guessed that there was no other choice but to get up and get ready. Their clothes had been washed and prepared and Elladan insisted that she wore a sort of leather armor over her jacket. It made her feel stiff and far from elegant but at least it offered some protection. Elladan put on his own armor and they met Elrohir in the corridor, he too wore armor and he handed Amy an elegant sword. It was very elvish looking and probably made to be carried by a female for it wasn't that heavy. "I brought this in case, it is our sisters but I don't think she'll mind that you borrow it."

Amy felt a bit moved by the gesture and gave Elrohir a hug. They met Galadriel and the two istari when they entered the dining room, some elves were preparing breakfast and Amy had to blink. Legolas sat there wearing a sort of leather armor which just screamed wood elf and by his side the king sat, and he did look amazing. He wore a dark armor and a thick cloak and he had dropped the crown but wore a sort of circlet. Amy realized that he was to join them and some sounds coming from the entrance area told her that some troops were gathering there. She did see that the king had switched the wine with water and had to grin to herself, so he did feel the effects of last night too.

Amy sighed, she felt almost naked, just a sword! A good sword no doubt but goddamn it, where did you get an assault rifle when you needed it? She was used to knives, not swords. The only comfort was that Elladan and Elrohir were masters with any type of blade and if she hadn't misinterpreted them Legolas was quite deadly with his long knives. She leaned over to Elladan. "Is the king any good with swords?"

Elladan scoffed. "He is the best, honestly. Trained by the ancient masters at Doriath, and he has had a heck of a lot of practice so not even Fin wants to compare himself with Thranduil"

Amy felt a spark of very reluctant respect, if these two regarded that overly tall sinda as the best there was no point in questioning them at all. As long as he didn't get too cocky that was, for some reason she felt an absurd need to punch that elf in the face each time she saw him. The breakfast was delicious but she hadn't expected to be fed scraps and they even had some decent tea. Elladan saw that she enjoyed it and cocked his head. "You like tea?"

She nodded. "Yes, this is decent stuff, I hadn't imagined that I would find something akin to Earl Grey here. "

Elladan looked a bit confused. "Earl Grey?"

Amy nodded. "It is the name of a brand of tea, named after the guy who started producing it. It is common in my world to name products after someone"

Elladan smiled. "Alright, so tea is popular?"

Amy rolled her eyes, "Dear, there are countries which would collapse into utter ruin without tea. England without tea? As likely as seeing a blindfolded polarbear dance cancan holding a piñata while playing the flute. If the tea disappeared then welcome the apocalypse and bend over and kiss your ass goodbye"

Elladan made huge eyes. "Whoa, that popular?"

Amy nodded. "And coffee, don't mention coffee! My world runs on that stuff, without that we would probably scoot back into the middle ages right away"

Elladan took a sip of milk and tore off a piece of bread, he was obviously very hungry. "What is coffee?"

Amy had to explain and as she did she got a funny feeling in her head, as if she was about to remember something, or come up with an idea. They finished eating and she felt rather nervous, the warriors were ready and so were the wood elves and their horses had been saddled and prepared too. She sighed and got in the saddle again, she wasn't looking forward to this at all. Legolas mounted a small white horse while his father had a very tall dark chestnut stallion. Elladan whispered to her that he usually rode a huge elk but since they didn't know where they would end up he had taken a horse instead. The antlers of the thing had a tendency of getting stuck in the foliage. Amy tried to imagine it and had to giggle, it had to be a bit of a problem while fighting yes.

The king sort of took command and Galadriel sent him a rather sour smile, she looked as if she was less than pleased with that. Gandalf and Aiwendil came trotting forth, both looked a bit stressed out and Aiwendil had in fact managed to strap on one of the armors the royal guards usually wore. It did look absolutely ridiculous. It was about to crack at the seams and way too long and he was waddling more than walking since it sort of blocked his gait. Somehow he did manage to get up onto a horse although it was rolling its eyes and blowing its nose. Amy felt a need to roll her eyes too, what an army they were!

Thanduil reined in his horse and nodded. "The forest tells me that the problems are located to the south east of here."

Gandalf just shrugged. "Then let's go, the forest ought to know shouldn't it?"

They got their horses moving and Amy felt a chill run down her spine, this was it. They were heading out to meet the enemy, hopefully head on but there was no way to say that for sure. That vampire bitch could be laying in hiding anywhere and she stared at every shadow with nervous eyes. She wore the crystal on her chest now and it didn't shine so they were probably safe, at least for now. They rode pretty hard and she did notice that the king in fact did communicate with the forest, every now and then the trees seemed to reach for him and squirrels and birds came scooting by. She did also notice something else, they were not alone there at all. There were other elves in the forest and she would sometimes catch a small glimpse of them, but they didn't ride horses. They ran through the canopy and she saw that these elves wore very little clothing but they had painted themselves and looked rather primitive. Elladan nodded. "Avarin warriors, the oldest tribes, those who never wanted to leave Cuivienen in the first place. They haven't changed at all for ages, and they are closer to the earth than anyone else. Knowing they follow us somehow makes me feel a lot better"

Amy tried not to whip her head around each time she thought she saw movement. "Good warriors?"

Elladan grinned. "Amazing, loyal to the land, not the ruler in himself. But they obey Thranduil since he is so connected to this forest, they see him as a sort of chosen one"

Amy had to scoff. "Chosen for what? The prize of being the greatest peacock there is?"

Elladan had to giggle. " Oh Amy, don't say that out loud, yes, he is vain but it is a part of the culture he grew up with and changing ancient habits is not easy."

She just growled. "I bet not"

The forest was rather dense but filled with light and Gandalf rode next to Amy. "I am not sure of this, there has been great darkness in this forest for a very long time but that lays to the south west of here, not the east? Where are we going?"

Amy thought she saw that the king had started to tense up a bit, as if he had some suspicions he didn't want to have confirmed. Galadriel hadn't said a word for a long time, she looked half asleep but Amy knew that she wasn't. Elrohir was chatting with Legolas and they seemed to get along very well, Elladan had a sort of naughty look in his eyes and Amy frowned. "What?"

Elladan just shrugged. "Ro does prefer males, and that sinda prince is quite a treat now isn't he?"

Amy blinked and had to stare at the two, was Elrohir flirting? Oh balls, he was! She had to giggle and wondered if Elrohir at all had considered who he would get as a father in law if he took this the whole way. The forest changed slowly, not they left the area with gnarly twisted trees and entered a forest of very tall straight trees, beeches and elms and some trees which almost looked a bit like giant redwoods, just smoother. The canopy was way up there and the light drew a delicate web of light over the forest floor. It was very beautiful and Amy would have loved to stay there for days, just exploring. She saw flowers and trees she never had come across before and she felt a sudden sense of belonging she hadn't had before. This was her world, and her heritage and she had to protect it. She had no idea if this was something she had inherited from her father or if it was her own thoughts.

Thranduil raised a hand. "We rest here, the horses needs a break"

Amy took a deep breath, at least he was thinking of the well being of the horses, and she did slide from the saddle with a small groan. She was sore still and Elladan gave her a hand. He did look concerned. "You are hurting?"

She nodded. "Stiff and sore, I haven't done this much riding since I was a kid"

He smiled. "Wanna know a secret? The first pony I had bucked me off so much ada started to think that I never would learn to ride properly"

Amy shook her head. "No way, I bet the horses came to you begging to be ridden, you elves ride like you are one with the animal"

Elladan shook his head. "Nope, we have to learn, like all others."

Amy had noticed that the wood elves didn't use bits, they rode their horses with only a sort of soft padded pillow with stirrups on it and it did look rather natural. "Well, at least you take care of the horses, I have seen riders who insist that their horse wear the equivalent of an entire hardware store in their mouths"

Elladan scoffed. "There is nothing you can make a horse do better with a sharp bit than without a bit at all. Believe me"

Amy nodded and petted the horse she rode, it was a docile mare with a dull dun color and it did look as if it was about to fall asleep there and then. "I rode a lot as a kid, there was a riding school in the neighborhood and I was visiting it every day."

Elladan had loosened the saddles on both their horses and smiled. "Good horses?"

Amy sort of shrugged, standing there talking about such mundane things did in fact calm her down, she felt a lot better. "Yes, and no. We had some very good Arabians and a few horses of dubious parentage too which were excellent but the school had some lazy oat chewing nags as well. One of the ponies were infamous"

Elladan looked very interested. "Tell me more?"

She tilted her head. "Why?"

He smiled. "Because I want to know everything about you Amy, everything there is"

She had to giggle. "No you don't. not really but alright. That pony was very small but it had the appetite of four huge stallions and would eat anything it could get its teeth into. It looked like a ball with tiny legs."

Elladan frowned. "That is never good for a horse, being too fat. Didn't they look after its diet?"

Amy smiled. "They did, but it didn't matter that much at all, for he had learned how to open the doors. In the end they had to put padlocks on every door in the stable."

Elladan did look amused. "And it was ridden?"

Amy nodded. "Yes, reluctantly I may add. It was sour and grumpy and nasty and did kick and bite whenever it saw the chance but the kids who rode it always meant that it was the sweetest pony there ever were"

Elladan looked thoughtful. "I remember a horse ada used to have, a huge black stallion with eyes like flames, it was a war horse, trained to kill. We never saw it fight but ada told us of the orcs that horse had kicked to death. I wanted to ride him one day but he got old and died before I reached my maturity and was allowed to."

Amy was about to answer when Galadriel strolled by, she looked concerned. "Amy, Elladan, this will be a short stop but I feel that we are heading towards danger. I think I know where we are heading"

Elladan tensed up. "You do? Where?"

Galadriel lowered her voice. "Oropher's old palace, I feel some sort of power coming from that direction"

Elladan suddenly looked a bit tense. "That explains why Thranduil wanted a stop now, he doesn't want to return to that place now does he?"

Galadriel smiled, her smile was very sad and held a lot of melancholy. "No, he doesn't. But if that is where the enemy is hiding then that is where we are going, with or without him"

Amy looked curious. "An old palace? What is wrong with that?"

Elladan shrugged. "Nothing really, it is a ruin now, barely visible since it was built with wood and abandoned even before the battles of the last alliance but to Thranduil I think it sort of represents the last time of true happiness and bliss. To have his memories violated must be rather horrible"

Amy tilted her head, stared towards the place where Thranduil was speaking with his son. "So Oropher was Thranduil's father? Were they close?"

Elladan sighed. "Yes, very. Oropher could be a bit of a pain in the ass I guess and he was very controlling and strict but he was an honest ruler who adopted the culture of these wood land elves instead of forcing them to become like the sindar. The people loved him enough to follow him into war, and he did love his son fiercely. I don't think Thranduil really was ready to become a ruler, I bet he never wanted that title."

Galadriel nodded. " He didn't, he wanted to live on like before, hunting and roaming the woods. But fate wanted something else of him, and he is still paying the price."

She didn't say anything more and just walked off. Amy saw that the warriors were mounting their horses again and they seemed even less eager than before. The forest was very peaceful but she did notice that it was way too peaceful for comfort. There were no birds singing and she felt that it had gotten colder. Galadriel had a strange expression on her face and Amy stared at her, asking an unspoken question. "The portal is close, but I have no idea of how close"

Amy didn't feel anything special, not really. They rode on and now it was rather apparent that they rode along an old road, there were straight lines in the terrain that couldn't be natural and she did see that the king had started looking down into the neck of his horse, there was an expression of pain on his face and Amy started to realize that there was way more to him than she had thought. Legolas didn't seem to find this bothering at all, he had probably lived his entire life in the current palace. The road went into a broad but shallow valley and Amy realized that it followed what once had been a slow running river or stream. The water was gone ages ago but the area was still lush and she could see where the river had been. She was so absorbed by the forest and the tall trees she didn't notice that the riders in front of her had stopped and her horse jerked and shook its head, it stopped a few inches from the rump of the horse in front of it.

Amy stared forwards, what had stopped them? What she saw made her gasp and she understood why the elves had stopped their horses. In front of them was a gate, or the remains of a gate rather. It had been built in fine marble and had probably been a very beautiful thing once upon a time. Remains of that beauty would still have been visible if it wasn't for the recent remake of the structure. Someone or something had covered the gate with skeletons, most very old and she gasped when she saw that most of them had to be elves or humans. Elladan groaned and Elrohir had grown pale. Thranduil did look very pale and his back was stiff as a board. He was shaking visibly.

There was blood everywhere, as if whole buckets of it had been poured over the grotesque structure and it did stink rather bad. Elladan cursed and Gandalf sort of hissed and raised his staff. A bright light could be seen and something which looked like smoke rose from the old gate. The istari spat on the ground. "A spell. It is gone now"

Legolas just blinked. "Are those…."

One of the other sindar there was shaking all over, his face grey. "Whatever it is, it has desecrated the old graveyard"

Legolas moaned and Amy realized that these were elven skeletons removed from their equivalent of a churchyard. She turned her face to Elladan. "You bury your dead?"

He shook his head. "No, not normally. The normal procedure if someone does die is to burn the body and shatter the ashes. But for a short period of time they buried dead warriors in a sacred area behind the palace, they believed that the spirits of these dead would protect the forest. We don't know if this was true or not"

Amy stared at the skeletons and her back felt as if there were a thousand needles pricking at it at once. She didn't like this at all. Galadriel did look as if she had bitten into something really rotten and Aiwendil was fidgeting with his staff the whole time. Gandalf sighed. "I see that nobody else is about to do something about that disgrace so I guess that job will be mine"

He raised his staff again and shouted something and there was a cracking sound. The whole gate sort of collapsed and was in fact reduced to rubble. Thranduil seemed to take a deep breath of relief and Amy whispered to Elladan. "His father?"

Elladan shook his head. "Not here, Oropher fell during a charge in front of the black gates of Mordor, he was buried not far from there with countless others. Today that burial ground is known as the dead marches and nobody speaks of it anymore."

She just nodded and Galadriel pushed her horse forth. "We have to continue. We cannot linger here, I don't think this area is safe during the night at all"

Amy scoffed. "No shit, vampires are the children of the night, I bet this one is no different from the others"

Galadriel raised an eyebrow. "You are familiar with such creatures?"

Amy scoffed. "Yeah, from scary fairytales made to frighten children and to give adults a chill down the back, and yes, ghastly over-romantic and completely cheesy novels made for love sick teenage girls with cotton for a brain"

Galadriel did look thoughtful. "Your world knows of such creatures then, but those fairy tales must have come from somewhere? What if there is something solid in them, something worth notice?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Listen, they are legends, just bullshit. We don't have holy water and I don't think a vampire from this world would even know what a cross is. Using faith is no good, I am about as religious as a piece of crockery and I have huge problems believing that a vampire would flee from the smell of garlic"

Elladan tilted his head. "You did mention stakes?"

She shrugged. "Yes, wooden stakes, but good luck getting close enough to such a creature to stab it through the chest. I don't think this Thuring-what-something is anything like the good ol vampires of earth."

Galadriel looked as if she was thinking hard. "Oh she may be, any other weaknesses you know of?"

Amy felt that this was getting more and more unreal " Well, sunlight of course, and what was it…yes, if you toss like say a bag of sand or salt or something in front of them they have to count every grain before they can do anything else but they do count very fast so that doesn't give you many seconds"

Again she got an odd feeling in her head, of having missed something, or that an idea just had slipped her by. Galadriel sighed. "We will remember that, but for now I think the ring I wear and the power of the istari is the thing we need to rely on"

Thranduil seemed to have gathered his senses again and he rode on, Galadriel looked a bit angry, she didn't want the other elves to proceed any further and she swore in quenya. Amy did see that she was a very strong and determined person and Elladan nodded with admiration in his eyes. "Back in Valinor she wanted to have her own land to rule, and to have something to say when it came to her own destiny. That is why she followed Fingolfin over the Helcaraxe, to be free. She didn't give a damn about the oath and the Silmarils and all that stuff, I bet that was what saved her from sharing the same fate as so many else."

Amy nudged her horse into motion again. "She is formidable yes"

Elladan sent her a wry grin. "Back in Valinor she was named Nerwen by her mother, it means man-maiden because her mother thought she was too wild and not lady like enough"

Amy had to grin back. "She would have had to eat her words then, now she is every bit a lady."

Elladan bit his lower lip. "You have never been to Lothlorien and witnessed her drinking with grandfather, nor have you heard them fighting, or well, engaging in other activities. Lady like? I think not!"

The gate was gone and they rode past the rubble, the skeletons were gone, they had probably been so old they had crumbled to dust when the gate fell. The warriors were silent as they rode by and Amy felt a bit uncomfortable. This enemy of theirs had no regard for life, whatsoever. She saw that the forest had gotten a bit darker, not that it was less sunlight there but it just felt more bleak, more drained of color. She remembered the old movies she had seen about Dracula and cringed. "I hope this bitch is nothing like one of the vampires I have read about, then she most probably have servants"

Elladan made a grimace. "I bet she does have plenty of those, it would be very typical of such power hungry creatures."

Amy nodded. "Yes, I once saw a movie about that vampire, the most famous one mind you, and he had lots of female vampires who sought to seduce males and turn them into fast food or slaves"

Elladan scoffed. "Tell me more."

She nodded. "Well that story is based upon a real person you see, a prince who had to stay at the court of an enemy ruler as a hostage. When he returned home the two realms started a war and he got famous for being terribly cruel and impaling his enemies upon spikes. In the story his wife commits suicide since she is told he is dead and when he return home from a battle and finds her dead he swears to live forever, feeding of the blood of the living and cursing God."

Elladan made a grimace "That is quite a story."

Amy nodded. "A very famous one, told in many different ways. Apparently they believed that he did drink blood and were able to transform himself into bats and wolves."

Elladan frowned. "That sounds a lot like Sauron and Thuringwethil. Sauron did favor were-wolves."

Amy cringed. "Ouch, well, in the lore of our world those two are mortal enemies"

The road was almost gone now but they could still follow it and the king was riding in front, he seemed to have gotten over the shock rather well but she did see that he had his blades ready and Legolas had obviously gotten an order to stay behind his father.

Amy wondered if blades at all would have an effect on such a creature, it had to be very powerful and probably able to repair any damages rather fast. Then it hit her, the attack in the hall! The vampire had sort of backed off, she hadn't really done any harm now had she? She had shown herself alright but she hadn't really been fighting. Amy was dead sure she could have killed many if she was aiming for it. This was obviously a trap and they were heading right into it. The thing had tempted them, baited them and now she was reeling in the catch.

She rode over next to Galadriel. " This is a trap"

Galadriel nodded. "Of course it is a trap dear, that thing didn't really try back at the palace. There is a reason why, and we have to confront it to find out the truth"

Amy sneered. "She want me where the portal is, that is why!"

Galadriel smiled. "Yes, but I can sense more too, there is also more she wants, and I am not so sure of what that is."

Aiwendil hadn't spoken a word for hours, now he sort of wiped sweat of his brown and his eyes were a bit wild. "I sense her power, oh she is dark, and mean. Sauron was once a rather mild maia but Morgoth turned him away from the light. Thuringwethil on the other hand was never pleasant at all"

Amy sighed and they rode slowly now, she really missed some good old fashioned guns, and perhaps a H-bomb too, just in case? Now that would have cleared the way so to speak! The road turned and they entered a huge open area where just young trees grew and Amy could see that this once had been a settlement. There were foundations hidden beneath the dirt and grass and she realized that this once had been a village. Elladan pointed at some heaps which were more prominent than the others. "This was a village, a sort of suburb to the palace."

Amy tilted her head. "It must have been large?"

Galadriel nodded. " It was, the court of Oropher did draw many to the area, even elves from Lindon and some from my realm as well. Most were survivors from Doriath and some from Beleriand as well, I don't think there were any noldor living here"

The road was rather visible again, here and there they could in fact see the old cobblestone. The terrain did rise a bit and they soon stood upon a flat hill. Upon it stood a ruin and Amy had to stare a bit. The foundations were the only thing left but it was huge, if this had been a wooden building it had been enormous. Thranduil seemed to be almost in a trance and Amy did in fact feel sorry for him. If she hadn't misunderstood them this was where he had spent most of his youth and early adulthood and maybe even where he met his wife. It had to be very sad seeing it all reduced to mere memories.

Thranduil stopped his horse in front of the ruin, he dismounted and looked a bit heartbroken. Legolas walked forth and touched his arm, a quick but very loving gesture and it appeared as if the king appreciated it. Galadriel sighed. "I sense nothing here, the portal is nearby but it is shielded. "

Gandalf nodded sternly. "There is no sign of her here, but I bet she is hiding her nasty hide somewhere. She is waiting"

Aiwendil did chew a bit on his mustache. "But for what?"

Elladan touched the hilt of his sword almost lovingly. "For us to relax, to make a mistake"

Elrohir stared at the rotten remains of what had once been grand walls and Amy thought she could catch a faint glimpse of the grandness that this place once had been. Tall golden walls with wonderful carvings, like a forest in itself, carrying a tall roof with huge windows and upon the throne the Sindar king and his young son. It did make her feel oddly melancholic, almost depressed. Galadriel sighed. "There used to be a huge garden here, filled with roses. It was so lovely many came here just to see it. The princess loved it, it was her pride"

Amy had to smile. "Thranduil's wife?"

Galadriel nodded. "Yes, this was where he met her and wooed her, and they lived here for a few years before…before the shadow started creeping from Dol Guldur. This was where he was truly genuinely happy last, I do not blame him for being a bit emotional about this place"

Amy did see that the king was leaning onto one of the stones left and he held something in his hand, it was a rose, almost withered but still pretty and now she did see that there were some rose bushes here and there, they probably had spread from the old garden and now they were reduced to wild roses but it had to have hit him hard to find it for she saw that he was shaking slightly. Legolas was standing by him, obviously whispering something to him and one of the older officers stood there too. Legolas gestured towards the others. "We make a camp, the sun will be setting soon and we have to be ready for anything"

Galadriel made a nasty grimace, she didn't like the idea of making camp at all but there was no point in standing there waiting for something to happen. She nodded. "Make sure that the bonfires are lit the whole time, the guards have to be well rested and everybody wear armor even when you sleep"

The warriors quickly erected a few tents and lit some huge fires. The entire place was well lit now and Elladan smiled at Amy. "Relax, we are ready"

Amy sneered. "Are we? That bitch wanted us to come here, and I don't think it is only because of the portal. That thing is probably trying to achieve more than what we first assumed."

Elladan frowned "What do you mean?"

She cringed. "Look, I don't know for sure, but I am pretty sure that the whole Ungoliant thing is just a part of it. There was something about that attack I can't get a grasp on, it just slips away whenever I try to think of it. It was more to it than just the obvious. "

Elladan bit his lower lip. " You think so? Then I agree with you, you have good instincts"

Amy sort of grinned. " I have the instincts of an E.R doctor, that is for sure"

He looked confused. "What is an E.R doctor?"

Amy shrugged. "A healer working in a hospital where they receive critically ill people. You have to be able to think fast, and to see the truth behind even the worst lie"

He looked even more confused. "Why would anyone lie to a healer?!"

Amy sighed and made a wide gesture. "Well, if you just broke your wife's collarbone or nose you don't want to shout that out right? So you lie and say she walked into a closet door and if the dumb bitch knows what is good for her she backs up the story. A doctor has to have instincts, and so does we park rangers."

Elladan made a clicking sound with his tongue. "I would never fit into your world Amy, no ellon would abuse his wife! That is…just horrible!"

She shrugged. "Very usual unfortunately"

He cocked his head. "But you rangers need that sort of skills too? Why?"

Amy made a grimace again. "Oh, that…well, we have had our fair share of morons, madmen and psycho's"

He took her by the arm and they entered a tent, it was brightly lit and rather cozy. The sun was setting fast now and it would get dark really fast. " Explain please?"

She sighed and sat down, there were two bedrolls laid out there and a couple of blankets, otherwise the tent was empty. She sat down, her legs aching yet again, the day had been long and yet it felt as if she just had gotten out of the comfortable bed in the palace. "Most people who visit the parks are unfamiliar with nature. Some think they can hand feed the wild animals like life stock, others try to tease the bears or the bucks just to show how brave they are, and then we have those who come to the park to disappear."

Elladan stared at her. "Disappear?"

She nodded and laid down. "Yes, some chose to end themselves by making the police shoot them, others go to the parks and try to dive off a cliff, jump into a raging river or worse, pick a fight with a grizzly."

Elladan joined her, put his arm around her. "Your people are the most nutty ones I have ever heard of, not even the dwarves do that many idiotic things. Well, they do stupid things but not on such a scale"

Amy yawned, she was hungry but they hadn't brought that much food, just some lembas and she didn't like the taste of it at all. She tried to relax and heard that the guards were active outside, it made her feel a bit better but she had an aching sense of worry in her stomach still. She took a deep breath and forced herself to close her eyes. Elladan laid close by and his breath was steady and calm and she listened to it and laid there dozing. She had almost fallen asleep when it struck her, like lightening. She was on her feet within the blink of an eye and Elladan blinked and looked shocked. "Amy, what is it?"

She rushed towards the opening, her heart beating wildly and she couldn't believe that they had been such morons. She remembered that old saying from back home; be welcome and please sit said the spider to the fly. The fly wasn't who they all had thought it was, she didn't stop to wait for Elladan, he was straight behind her running like a madman. "Amy, slow down, what is wrong, answer!"

She rushed towards the tent where the royals were to spend the night and tore open the tent flap. Legolas sat on the ground sharpening his blades but Thranduil was nowhere to be seen and she groaned. " Legolas, where is your father?"

Legolas did look confused. "What? But…he left with you just minutes ago, you wanted him to show you the old garden?"

Amy swore so bad it was a miracle the entire tent didn't catch fire, she almost collided with Elladan and Legolas was on his feet. "What is going on?"

Amy sneered. "Get out of my way both of you, I have to go and save the king from being sucked dry by that old bat"

The Ellyn shared a shocked glance, then they all ran, as one.


	16. Close enounters of the creepy kind

Chapter 16 Close encounters of the creepy kind

Amy ran, she had no idea of how she was to stop that thing if she was right but she had to try. She had several elven warriors hot at her heels but she had no idea of whether or not that would be of any help. The garden wasn't that hard to find, it was turned into what could only be described as a gardeners ultimate nightmare and in the dark Amy couldn't help but think of that old movie little shop of horrors, this was the kind of place where man eating flowers would fit in perfectly. Strangely enough she did see rather well and she realized that perhaps she did have some special gifts after all, being a half vala had to have some benefits. She found a sort of path through the overgrown bushes and herbs and some of the grass had been pushed down, it was still moving so whoever it was had been there mere minutes ago. She slowed down, used her hearing and heard voices up ahead. It had to be the king and that Thuringwethil-what-ever thing. She didn't like the sound of the king's voice, it sounded slurred and she was afraid she could be too late.

She rounded a bush and had to blink, if that vampire thought of drinking the king's blood she hadn't gotten so far yet for right now there was something else she was busy sucking. What the holy heck? Then Amy realized what that thing was doing, she did look exactly like Amy, and she probably smelled like her too and what better way to conquer your enemies than to make them fight each other? The bitch was using a divide and conquer tactic and she had gone straight for the one with the biggest weaknesses but the greatest power. The king did rule this realm after all, as her puppet he could be used to do a lot of harm and nobody would dare to oppose to his orders, even if they really came from her. And if the others did think that Thranduil had seduced Amy they wouldn't want to have anything to do with him nor his warriors anymore and also doubt Amy's intentions. Amy had been afraid of something like this. Thranduil obviously believed that it was his charm and good looks that had tempted the peredhel's wife into seeking his company, he was too darn sure of himself and that can be fatal. Amy had seconds left to act, the king did sound as if he was close and what if that thing put a spell on him or something like that?

She just acted, she had no idea of where it all came from. She just rushed forth screaming "Let there be light" and suddenly the whole garden was covered by a huge glowing dome. The light so bright it would have made the search lights on top of those Las Vegas hotels look like candles. The effect was rather interesting to say the least, Thranduil let out a yelp, the shock obviously triggered a rather sudden reaction judging by the sounds he made and the odd jerking movements and the impostor on her knees in front of him made a gargling sound and flinched back, eyes closed and body twitching in a very unnatural manner. The thing pretending to be Amy did shriek then and seemed to transform into a sort of dark fog and off it went, into the bushes screaming like a banshee. The king just stood there, looking rather odd since he was obviously shocked and still had his pants open. Amy sent him a rather strict glare. "You, tuck yourself back in, and the next time someone offer to suck you off make sure they are who they appear to be!"

The king blinked, he looked horrified and now Amy heard that the others finally were catching up with her, damn, had she been that fast? Thranduil gasped and turned around, fixed his clothes and Amy had to snigger, if she ever had wanted something she could use to blackmail the king this was it for sure. Several warriors came crashing through the bushes and Thranduil tried to look as calm as ever but he did fail monumentally. He was still shaking and visibly pale and the look of utter revulsion on his face was very visible. She had to feel sorry for him, he of course understood what it was that just had been giving him a good time and Amy did suspect that the dark maia probably would have sought him out again later and then it could have been blood that was on the menu.

Elladan stared at them, he held his blade high and was ready to fight and so were the rest, Legolas came running too and Thranduil sent Amy a very pleading glance, he probably didn't want his son to know of the details of what just had happened. Elladan took a deep breath. "Are you okay, what happened?"

Amy scowled. "Oh I will tell you what happened, that bitch thought she could pose as me and seduce the king and thus create discord among us. Luckily I was here just in time to prevent something serious from happening"

Elladan did look rather pissed off and Thranduil did in fact look ashamed and he seemed to shrink a bit. "It did? Oh Eru, that means that it can take whatever form it wants, we have to be careful from now on"

Amy nodded and sighed, the enemy was powerful, that was for sure. And sly too, she had a suspicion that only even greater slyness would work against her. Thranduil suddenly found himself pulled into a huge hug by his son who did look very nervous and sort of patted his father down to check for injuries. Thranduil managed to smile, a rather sheepish smile that made Amy turn away so he didn't see her wry grin. "I am alright ion nin, I am not hurt"

Legolas did look very relieved but also angry. "Ada, I cannot believe that you could be that stupid! How could you even believe that this thing was Amy? Why would she want to be alone with you in the first place?"

The king just blinked . "Ah…."

Amy sort of salvaged the situation. "I am sure Thuringwethil put a spell on him, one he couldn't resist since he didn't expect any danger from me."

Legolas seemed to accept that and gave his father one last squeeze before backing off and Amy sort of sauntered over and pretended to help the king straighten out his long robe. She did whisper to him. "Check yourself for any sort of cuts and scrapes whence you are alone, just a drop of blood is enough for those creatures to get a hold of someone"

Amy had no idea of whether or not that was just blood, or if other bodily fluids also did the trick. In that case the king was a bit screwed, judging by the gagging sounds the thing had made. She had most certainly gotten a mouthful of something she probably didn't expect and that made Amy start to believe that Thuringwethil indeed was very sadistic and would have bitten the moment the king reached his "happy place". He just fired off a bit prematurely due to the shock of the glowing dome Amy produced.

The very idea made her cringe, but she didn't doubt that the enemy was ruthless enough to actually do something that wicked, and probably transform the king into one of her servants afterwards. Amy really wondered if an elf could be transformed into a vampire at all, maybe some sort of undead creature? Like in w.o.w? Suddenly she did regret having played so many computer games and watched so many T.V shows, she suddenly thought she saw creatures from the walking dead in every shadow there.

Gandalf did show up, looking slightly desperate. "What was that? I felt a surge of power, so strong! I haven't felt anything like that since I left Aman!"

Elladan did pet Amy on her back. "That would be Amy here, she chased the thing off, before it could…do any harm"

Gandalf took a deep sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, but what now then?"

Amy felt herself cringe, she made a grimace. "We have to find the portal and close it, that is why we came here"

Elladan bit his lower lip, he looked thoughtful. "Yes, but how? It is hidden!"

Amy was trying to keep her head clear. "Listen, the portal is here somewhere, and it is open right? But that goddamn spider haven't arrived here for some reason, there has to be something about it that makes it necessary for that thing to use me! What?"

Gandalf squeezed his eyes almost shut. "You are right, she does need you for some reason."

Radagast too had joined them now and he did look even more silly than before with huge vines entangled in his robes and a face covered with pollen. He had to have walked straight into a flower of some sorts. "The valar used Amy to open the portal in the first place, used her powers. That thing probably isn't strong enough to open it all the way on her own. You would need a vala to do that."

Gandalf snapped his fingers. "Of course, I bet Thuringwethil was trapped outside of this world after the war of wrath and hitch hiked back with Amy but she does need more power to free Ungoliant"

Legolas had been listening and his eyes were a bit dark. "Listen, what if we are looking at this the wrong way? What if Thuringwethil isn't out to free Morgoth in any way, but to gain power for herself? She wants to be the dark ruler I am sure, she wasn't that loyal to neither Morgoth nor Sauron, she just served out of her own interest."

Radagast cocked his head, it looked ridiculous. "But is she strong enough to control Ungoliant?"

Amy let out a hiss, she remembered what Galadriel had seen. "No, she isn't. She thinks she is but that spider has existed from before the very beginning of time right? It is a force of nature. Thuringwethil thinks that by drinking the blood of a vala she can become one, and be so powerful even that spider has to bow to her, and then she will destroy everything, even Sauron."

They looked at each other and Gandalf did make a grimace. "She is a mere maia, not strong enough for something like that!"

Radagast scratched his head, dandruff was raining down onto his shoulders like a snowstorm. "Maybe she thinks she can get Ungoliant to sort of join forces with her? So she can command the spiders too?"

Legolas scoffed. "I don't think the mother of spiders would want to cooperate with anyone, she is too greedy. Remember, even Morgoth got himself into trouble when he tried to tangle with that one. She is chaos incarnate."

Amy bit her lower lip, her voice was a bit nervous. "Know what? I don't think that Thuringwethil wants to cooperate with Ungoliant at all, I suspect that she wants to become Ungoliant! What would happen if she was to drink of the spider?"

Everybody stared at her and Gandalf blinked a few times, he did look shocked. "Why of course, there we have it. She wants to steal Ungoliant's powers. Eru. She would be more powerful than Morgoth ever were!"

Legolas was a bit pale. "Could she do it?"

Radagast sniffed, he did look nervous. "Ungoliant doesn't have a physical body yet, if she has been hiding outside of the world she could only be energy. Thuringwethil does need real blood to steal someone's powers."

Everybody started to walk back to the camp now, torches held high since the dome disappeared rather fast and Amy felt an odd sensation at the back of her head. She was being stared at, and she had a very good idea of who it was that did the staring. She felt like a juicy bone in a pen filled with hungry dogs. Gandalf was obviously thinking very hard. "But why haven't Ungoliant come forth yet? The portal is open! She would probably enter this world with glee, hungry as ever!"

Amy tilted her head. "The portal opened in my world right? And my group was brought forth together with the twins. Ungoliant wasn't there for sure, so maybe the portal needs to be redialed? "

Everybody stared at her. Elladan frowned. "Huh?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Right, it is stuck at the wrong address, the wrong world. She needs to move the other end of the portal to the right dimension, the one where that goddamn overgrown leech is situated."

Gandalf nodded. "Yes, that could very much be it"

Amy grunted. "Oh how I wish we had a bug bomb here, king size"

Elladan held her hand rather firmly. "A bug bomb?"

Amy nodded. "Something we use to kill unwanted bugs back home, I would have loved to shove one of them, the size of an S.U.V into that spiders gullet."

The mental image sort of cheered her up a bit. Radagast raised his pinky, it did look rather odd. They were back among the tents now and the situation felt bizarre. "Uh, so maybe Amy is needed to shift the other end of the portal? Or is she needed for something else too?"

Amy frowned. "What do you mean?"

Radagast made a grimace. "If the creature wants to be strong enough to absorb Ungoliant she has to be much stronger than now. I think she wants to feed on you Amy, that would make sense!"

Galadriel had entered the group, she did look perfect as always, not even a strand of hair out of order and she was not even visibly tired but Amy did see a faint line on her forehead and her eyes were dark. "That is her plan, I am sure of it. She needs Amy's power to use the portal, and then to devour the energy of Ungoliant."

Gandalf nodded. "Yes, but how the heck is she planning on doing just that? Ungoliant is sheer energy, not flesh and blood!"

Galadriel had a very distant expression upon her face. "Yes, for now, but I think that Ungoliant probably is a bit weakened, she will need to feed right away, on something with energy. "

Amy hissed. "That is it, the bitch wants to use me both as food and then bait?!"

Elladan tightened his grip on her and his eyes were ablaze. "Over my dead body, nobody is gonna hurt my Amy"

Elrohir too stepped forth. "She would have to go through me too!"

Galadriel nodded slowly. "Thuringwethil wants to feed on Amy, to get some of her strength and when she is transformed to a mere slave the vampire will place her in Ungoliant's way. The spider cannot resist someone with that much energy, she will possess Amy's body and then Thuringwethil can drain them both"

Amy let out a yelp, holy shitcakes, how was she to get out of this mess?

Radagast grunted and spun his hat around. "Amy is the key here, it all stands or falls on her."

Amy felt a wee bit hysterical by now. "I have no intention of letting that thing suck on me thank you very much! And possession? I guess you don't have an exorcist hidden here somewhere?! "

Gandalf shook his head, apologetically. "No my dear, unfortunately not. But remember, you are a half vala, you have great powers. You just need to tap into them, wake them up"

Amy let out a frustrated snort. "And how do you suppose that I do that?"

Elladan was stroking her arms, calmingly and she knew that he would do everything to protect her, even if that meant his own demise. Heck no, she wouldn't let him die, no matter what. Legolas took a deep breath. "I think the silvan elves have methods for that, their shamans that is. They use herbs, to open the mind so to speak"

Galadriel nodded. "I know, they can do amazing things, we are wrong to think of the silvan and avari as rustic and old fashioned, or even primitive. They are quite powerful."

Amy remembered having seen some programs about shamanism and the odd rituals some tribes did use. "Do we have any of them here? And I am not about to snort something dubious, or smoke my own socks or something like that. No thank you!"

Legolas was looking eager. "We have silvan warriors following us, they are not far. I can ask them to summon one of their shamans."

Gandalf grunted. "Then do it, and fast. We cannot wait for all that long. Amy has to close the portal before Thuringwethil can use her for her own plans."

Legolas sprinted off, and Amy felt worried about him but she knew that the vampire probably didn't care about him at all. Thranduil was the king and could have made her path to power easier but Legolas was just a prince, not worth bothering with. Galadriel bit her lower lip. "The fact that Amy is half human is her weakness, if she was a full vala not even Thuringwethil would have been able to harm her."

Amy felt nervous and growled back. "Well, too bad my mom was just an ordinary woman and not some freaking superhero."

Radagast made a clicking sound with his lips and put on a sort of a grin. "Until that shaman does arrive, does anybody have some food perhaps? I am starving!"

Amy rolled her eyes, their world was in grave danger and that deranged old wizard was thinking of food? Well, an army marches on its belly and she was hungry too, when someone mentioned it. Some of the warriors had started a fire and hurried bringing forth some pots and pans and soon they were making stew. Amy sat down and Elladan gave her a cup of wine. It was sweet and rather strong and she saw that the king had returned to his tent, he did still look very sheepish but she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. She just hoped that the vampire thing didn't manage to do him any harm, that sort of a shock can stay with you for a long time.

Amy stared at her cup, yet again it felt as if something was evading her, some idea which almost burst forth from her mind. She shook her head and finished the wine and Elladan held her tightly, he was humming softly and the sound was very calming. They ate and sat by the fire and she did see that the officers now made sure that the warriors really were who they appeared to be by asking very personal questions. Amy was almost asleep when Legolas returned and behind him came an elleth who didn't look like anyone Amy had ever seen before. Her profession was rather obvious and back at earth someone would perhaps have described her as a sort of freak, or witch. She was rather small and clad only in knee high boots and a loincloth and her body was covered with tattoos. She even had tattoos on her face and she did look beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Her head was partially shaved, only the back of her head was left and there she grew a very long thick braid which contained all sorts of odd objects. She did also have several piercings and strange jewelry attached here and there and Amy did feel a sort of surge the moment the female got into view. This was the real deal for sure, not some impostor.

Legolas grinned, he did look very happy. "Everybody, this is Nameless, she was among the warriors and she is among the very best"

Amy frowned. "Uh, nameless?"

The female stared at her, her eyes had the same odd opaque green color as the water from glacial river and they seemed to drill straight into Amy's soul. "Yes, a shaman cannot have a name, dark forces can find you if you have a name but if you are nobody then you cannot be harmed"

Amy swallowed. "Well, that makes…sense I guess."

Nameless sat down and made a gesture. "You are indeed a daughter of the great hunter, it is very visible for the one with an inner eye. You need an awakening, to be prepared. Great darkness rests here and it is hungry, and ambitious"

Amy had to grin. "No shit, it wants to rule the world"

Nameless tilted her head. "Such is the nature of darkness, it wants to conquer and dominate. But the light can conquer the darkness, if we just stand strong."

She reached forth and a cool hand slid down Amy's forehead, it felt almost like a caress. "I will awaken you, do not be afraid, it will be frightening but you will be safe"

Amy let out a nervous laughter. "I don't need to ingest anything? Drink any potions?"

Nameless giggled. "No, my power of the fëar is enough, sit back into the arms of that gorgeous mate of yours and relax, let my voice guide you"

Amy found a good position and Elladan held her still, she did sense that he was nervous. So Nameless would probably use some sort of hypnosis? That was alright, she bet these shamans never played tricks on people. Nameless stared at her, the odd green eyes seemed to shine and then the shaman started to sing, very lowly, almost in a whisper but the words did ring with such power and Amy didn't even have time to think before the world disappeared from her eyes and everything went black.

Then a faint light appeared and she felt herself being drawn to it and realized that she was staring at a planet, as if she was in space. She saw it change and evolve and heard a sort of song in the background, a mighty choir and it did sound both beautiful and frightening at the same time. It was speeding up, she saw the history of this world and it took mere seconds and yet millennia, she could just absorb what she saw. She saw her soul being forged by Eru, as a lightbringer, and she saw her mother meeting her father. She could see a pattern now, like a weave hidden behind everything. It reminded her of the script for a movie or something and suddenly she did realize what she had to do. She let out a yelp and shook all over, opened her eyes again and saw that Elladan stared down at her face with obvious worry. "Amy, are you alright?"

She took a deep breath, she felt horrible and her head hurt. Damnation, she had the entire history of Arda lodged in her brain, no wonder she felt as if she had raided an entire liquor store. " I am fine, just….a bit overwhelmed that is all"

Nameless smiled, a very enigmatic smile. "You have been shown the path, whether you follow it or not is your choice."

The shaman got up and walked over to Legolas, said something to him and then she just disappeared into the darkness again. Amy stared after her, what an odd creature. Galadriel looked nervous. "So, what did you see?"

Amy took a deep breath. "Thuringwethil doesn't know that I am a lightbringer, she only knows that I am a half vala. I am to be a trap, a rather deadly one. But it does require some…unpleasant procedures first"

Elladan froze. "What do you mean?"

Amy sighed. "Listen, the light bringers were made to purify creatures corrupted by darkness right? Not even a bath in industrial strength bleach could purify Thuringwethil for sure but if she did try to devour the energy of a lightbringer it would harm her, and harm her a lot too. And the energy of a full vala would be too much, it would burn her."

Elladan frowned. "You are just half vala Amy?"

Amy sighed, petted his hand. "Yes, that is where the unpleasantness comes forth. I saw what I have to do. It does require the death of my human self"

Galadriel did jerk. "The visions"

Amy nodded. "Yes, the image of me with a knife in my chest. There is no way around it, I have to die to survive this, the mortal part of me has to go, be purged from my hroa."

Elladan let out a small wail. "No, I won't let you do that, what if you die for real?!"

Amy sighed. "Listen, I won't. I am half vala, the blood of my father will take over, and the energy of a light bringer will transform my blood to a terrible poison to any creature of darkness. It is needed. Afterwards I will be truly immortal, so don't be afraid."

Elladan whimpered. "I hear you my love and yet my heart cannot stand the thought."

She turned around, kissed him gently. "There is no other way. And the good part of it is that I can camouflage myself as who I am right now, she won't notice until it is too late"

Elladan just gasped, hiding his face against her neck, trembling ever so slightly. Galadriel got up and touched his shoulder. "Don't fear my dear, I feel that this is the right path to choose. Amy is right, there is no other way. We are not strong enough to defeat such a dark creature but Amy will be. If we just close the portal Thuringwethil will still be here, and still pose a threat. We have to get rid of both her and the portal in one go!"

Amy managed to smile. "And besides, I have already died once before, I am getting quite some experience with just that"

Elladan mumbled against her neck. "Oh don't say that, please. My heart is breaking apart in me hearing your words"

She kissed his forehead. " Then there is no point in prolonging this, the faster I awaken to my full power the faster we can return home, hopefully victorious."

Galadriel sighed. "She is right, we cannot linger. Thuringwethil has already attacked one of us here, and we have no way of telling what she may do next. She could go for anyone really"

Gandalf frowned. "No, she will go for those with power, not ordinary footsoldiers. They are below her, she wants to control those who make a difference. She will come for us Istari next, or for you my lady"

Galadriel sort of sneered. "Then good luck to her for I think my ring will keep even her at bay, but only for a while"

Amy bit her lower lip, she felt herself tremble slightly. Holy crap, she was about to commit suicide, so to speak. What a day! "I want to be alone, with Dan. And do not come after us, unless he calls out for you!"

Everybody nodded and Elrohir reached over, whispered something to Elladan that made him sigh and hug his brother tightly. Amy got up. "The groove behind the ruins, now"

Elladan hung his head and followed her without a sound and Amy swallowed as they left the others behind. "I love you Dan, and you know this. I wouldn't do this if I didn't, I am doing it to save us all."

He sighed and embraced her tightly. "I know my love, but do not ask me to bless this, I cannot."

She smiled and kissed him, removed his dagger from its sheath at his hip. "I am not afraid love, I have met Namo before and he isn't that bad really. It is only my mortal blood which will perish. I will become who I was meant to be"

She realized it there and then that her tendency of going beyond her duty always had been rooted in this, her true purpose. She was a bit like her father she guessed, never willing to give up on anything. Elladan kissed her back, with desperate passion, grasping her face with his hands and she gathered her courage, felt the absurdity of this but there was no way around it. She took a deep breath, kissing him with just as much passion and then she placed the tip of the dagger against her chest and pushed it in with one determined move. She heard Elladan scream her name as pain exploded through her and the world went dark before her eyes. If this didn't work she swore to herself that she would kick Namo's ancient ass to kingdom come, that was a solid promise.

Back in Imladris the situation had gone from tense to worse, the spiders had somehow managed to get through their barriers in one spot and even if they had built a burning barrier some of the freaking arachnids did jump pretty well. Franklin was transformed to a general now, leading the elves into battle. Luckily the enemy concentrated their attack on one spot in the valley downstream from the city and so most of the archers had gathered there. Each shot had to count and Franklin was in awe of the marksmanship of these elves. They aimed for the largest of the spiders eyes and hit every time. The creatures couldn't have that much of a brain but the elves seemed to hit it anyhow and he just hoped that they wouldn't run out of arrows. Some of the ellith were busy making new ones and the forges were glowing red, the smiths making arrowheads by the hundreds.

In the buildings the ellith and the elflings were trying to stay calm. Mrs Southhall and her daughters tried to teach the kids some nursery rhymes and the teenagers had gathered in a tight group, scared and yet excited. Lucy had just proposed a new idea and it could be their chance to do something useful. The girl was a bit of a rebel and now she had gathered all the small ceramics jars and glass bottles she could find. They had gotten some elven youngsters there too and Lucy was telling everybody how to make a Molotov cocktail. Elrond had stopped by and gotten a bit shocked by the weapon but he didn't try to stop them. He was too busy directing the power of his ring into the defenses. Elured and Elurin too were deep in a trance, trying to keep the girdle strong to keep the spiders from reaching the city itself.

Lucy and the others had worked like mad and now they had a huge heap of bottles containing some very nasty liquids. They had mixed some types of flammable oils and liquor and added liquid sugar to it so it became something which resembled napalm. Lucy had hoped that they didn't have to use it but suddenly there was a shout and some elves ran by. The spiders had found a way into the city, through a narrow gorge through which a river had run before, now it was dry and they had managed to push through the barriers there. The archers were on the other side of the city so now it was up to Lucy and the others to protect the inhabitants. The bottles and jars had been put into wheel barrels and everybody took off, this was it.

The gorge was narrow and steep and the spiders hadn't managed to get out of it yet, there were some archers there who were firing at the nasty things and Lucy had to make a grimace when she saw the dark things. She had seen some rather ghastly spiders in different horror movies but these were way worse. If a horror movie director had seen them he or she would have thought that these were too nasty even for a movie for adults. Lucy hadn't really believed that any creature of that sort could become this large, and some of them did look bloated and sick, as if they were ill. The stench from them was enough to make anyone retch and Lucy saw that Lindir had gotten a bow and was preparing to use it. He was looking very determined and she just hoped that they would survive this. The youngsters did take positions around the end of the gorge, the spiders were scurrying towards them with a nasty clicking sound and Lucy took a deep breath and raised her arm. "Everybody, aim for them and toss one bottle. Go for the front runners"

Lucy took one bottle and lit the fuse with a torch, then she threw it at the front spiders and it hit one of them in the head. The bottle broke and the liquid caught fire right away. The spider did shriek and rear up, trying to get rid of the flames but they did stick to its hard hide and spread fast. The others threw their bottles too and before long a huge portion of the spiders were on fire. The flames roared between the walls of the gorge and Lucy remembered having read something about something called the trench effect. The fire spread through the gorge because of the wind and the spiders did burn rather well, surprisingly enough. There was an infernal sound of shrieks and the spiders tried to flee but more came from behind and pushed forth and so more and more got caught by the death trap. The youngsters had spread out along the edge of the gorge by now and more elven warriors had joined them, shooting at the spiders that didn't burn.

Still more came and the area was completely surrounded, the flaming barriers did hold most of them back but here and there some managed to get through in the chaos and the warriors had quite a job stopping them from reaching the city itself. The creatures were very fast and extremely agile and everybody knew that the girdle had to hold. If the twins didn't manage to keep it up they were screwed. Elrond's ring wasn't powerful enough to stop this flood of overgrown nasties. Lucy wondered what sort of spider these did originate from, it seemed as if several species were represented there and she did see some which most certainly had to have been jumping spiders. She did also see some which resembled a brown recluse when it came to body shape and she just hoped that there weren't any tarantulas among them. They weren't that poisonous but the hairs on their bodies were nasty and a giant tarantula had to be the ultimate nightmare.

Franklin used everything he had learned about tactics, and he did find that he in an odd manner did enjoy this. He tried to distribute the warriors in the best manner possible and the captains did follow his orders without questions. He had always been told he would become a very good officer but it hadn't occurred to him that he in fact did have a gift for leading others. Some elves got injured, spiders did break through the barrage of arrows and did attack and were fended off by elves armed with swords and Franklin was impressed by the strength and speed of these warriors. The ancient ones in special since they had been fighting before and had lots of experience. Glorfindel and Erestor had taken positions at the front and were skewering spiders with their blades like a gardener removes dandelions from a lawn, Glorfindel was laughing like a madman and Franklin did realize that he didn't have even an ounce of fear. Compared with a balrog he guessed that these spiders were not that frightening at all.

For now they did manage to stem the flood but they had no idea for how long that would last, when the sun was down there was no way they could use the mirrors and the spiders seemed to get invigorated by the darkness too. Franklin was shouting orders and he crossed his fingers, hoping that Amy and the others did manage to do their job soon, or else the goddamn spiders would win this battle for sure.


	17. Spider and fly

Chapter 17: Spider and fly

It hurt, it hurt like bloody hell and she felt as if her entire insides were on fire. She opened her eyes, although a bit reluctantly and found herself surrounded by flames, but these were not like any fire she had ever encountered before. The flames were bright blue in a very unnatural color and they held no heat. But the energy was beyond description, it was like taking a swim in a pool of pure electricity. Amy looked at her own hands, they were transparent, odd pulses of light racing through them and she was glowing from within. This had to be her soul, the energy being that was her very self. The flames were almost caressing her and she could feel that something disappeared slowly, a sort of weight was lifted off her and she knew that it was her mortal self. It did hurt again, a pain she couldn't even describe for it was completely alien and there was a sort of jerk passing through her and the surroundings as the last of the mortal part of her disappeared.

She felt different, very different. As if the world before had been a sort of prison, too small for her. Now it was suddenly expanding, her senses reaching out into realms until now unheard of and she felt how new strength filled her, and with it a sort of cold wrath she hadn't known before. All valar are created from the very mind of the creator and she guessed that she felt a bit of Eru's own anger. She closed her eyes and there was a feeling of falling rapidly, then a new jerk as she entered her body yet again and she opened her eyes with a howl and sat up so fast she head butted Elladan who had been cradling her in his arms. "Bloody fucking hell! Oh for fuck's sake, this sucked, it sucked so hard!"

Elladan rubbed his forehead, his eyes huge with shock and she did see that they were red and that he had been crying. Her anger dissipated like mist under the sun and she leaned forth, embracing him tightly. "Ssshh, it is alright love, I am back, I am alright!"

She looked down, the dagger had been removed from her chest, the stain of blood and the tear in the tunic was all she could see and she lifted the garment tentatively. The wound was gone, only flawless skin could be seen, she grinned slowly. "It is done, now I am one of you guys, immortal"

Elladan let out a sob. "Oh Eru, I cannot believe it. You were really dead!"

Amy nodded. "Yes, I am sorry. For how long was I gone?"

Elladan shrugged. "I don't know. Some hours?"

Oh shite, that was a long time, too long. They had little time to prepare now then. She got up and kissed him, he grasped her the same way a drowning man grasps onto a life raft, he seemed to be completely thrown out of balance even now. He answered the kiss desperately and Amy had to chuckle to herself. Whenever this was over she was sure she would get the chance to enjoy this passion to the fullest, and she had a strong suspicion that she would be limping for a few days afterwards. "Hey, we have to go, we have to find the portal remember?"

Elladan let go with a groan, he whimpered. "I was so afraid, so afraid"

She let a hand run through the long silky hair. " I know my sweetest, but forget fear now. We have to brace ourselves, prepare."

The peredhel nodded. "You don't look any different?"

Amy snickered. "No, I guess not, but I feel very different"

He tilted his head. "How?"

She shrugged. " It is as if…as if I previously watched the world through a glass window but that window was somewhat greasy if you catch my drift? Everything was clouded somehow, less clear."

He nodded. "I think I understand yes"

She made a grimace. "Now I see everything so brightly, it is all so obvious somehow. I guess this is what it is like for a blind person to suddenly awaken and being able to see, or having lost a limb and then getting it back somehow"

Elladan frowned. "I guess, but do you feel any powers? New ideas?"

Amy took a deep breath. "Yes, I cannot even begin to describe it but I can sense everything Dan, everything. I ought to go stark raving mad and yet I am not, it is like listening to hundreds of musicians all playing at once and they all play a different tune. It is a bit chaotic but at the same time, I find beauty in it."

Dan nodded. "You hear the great song, through which Eru and the ainur created the world."

She brushed some leaves off her clothes, bit her lower lip. "We have to go, the others are waiting, and I have to prepare"

They walked slowly back to the camp, Dan held her hand and it felt so solid and warm and real and she guessed that she needed this very physical reminder of the reality of it all. Galadriel met them, she looked nervous. "Finally, there you are. We were getting nervous"

Amy smiled. "Understandable. But it is done, I am no longer what I were. Now I am a whole new animal and I do play at a new league, one very different one"

Galadriel blinked. "I can sense you through my ring, you feel…"

Amy fulfilled the sentence. "Like a thunderstorm right?"

The elleth nodded slowly. " Yes, a force of nature"

Amy concentrated, she sort of imagined herself being surrounded by an orb of energy and now she pulled that into herself, shielded it. "Now?"

Galadriel blinked, her eyes revealed shock. "Now you feel…just like before, some power but not much"

Amy smiled, she felt an odd almost tingling feeling of anticipation, a sort of daredevil attitude she hadn't felt before. She guessed that it could be something she had inherited from her father. The others joined them and Amy saw that Elrohir was very relieved that his brother now was alright, Gandalf and Radagast did also look as if they were eager and ready to do something. Galadriel was playing with her ring. "So, now what?"

Amy took a deep breath. "We have to force her to strike, to get the advantage of the surprise she is going to face. We cannot wait, she isn't to choose the battlefield this time"

Gandalf nodded, his deep gentle eyes did tell her that he did approve of the tactics. "That makes sense, what do you have in mind?"

Amy bit her lower lip. "The bitch would get the shock of her nasty lifetime if we do manage to close the portal yes? So if we get too close to it she has to react."

Elladan frowned. "Do you know where the portal is?"

Amy grinned, a wide beaming and triumphant grin. " As a matter of fact I do, there is a building in the woods not far from here, behind the old palace. Right now the portal is there, it is constantly moving, very slowly but at a steady pace. I would guess it has something to do with the rotation of this planet or something like that"

They all just stared at her with blank expressions and so she shrugged. "Alright, forget that then, but I do know where it is and that is the important point. "

Elrohir made a grimace. "If we just head straight for it I think it will be too obvious"

Amy nodded with vigor. "Absolutely, so we have to tread carefully and pretend as if we don't know, we are just heading in the right direction by chance."

Galadriel seemed to shrink a moment. "I can pretend as if the ring is guiding me"

Amy tilted her head. "That will make you a target, you know that?"

The tall elleth nodded, her eyes told them all she was serious about her offer. "Yes, but I am not without tricks of my own and with two istari present I expect to be protected."

Legolas had a thoughtful expression on his face. " It makes sense, Thuringwethil would fear Galadriel more than the others and go for her first. She probably regards Gandalf and Radagast as inferior beings to herself, Amy she has figured out and the rest of us pose no threat whatsoever in her mind. "

The brown wizard smacked his lips, as if he was tasting something nasty. "Do not underestimate the sheer malice of that creature, remember, she was no less evil than her masters, she was less than them just because she was too proud to be used."

Amy sort of sneered. "Well, that pride will be her fall. I suggest we do arrange ourselves as if we are searching for the portal. "

Legolas had a peculiar expression upon his face. "Can ordinary weapons harm her?"

Amy shrugged. "I have no idea, any suggestions?"

Gandalf sort of pouted. "It can of course harm her physical being and cause her discomfort but it cannot kill her. Our staffs would most certainly keep her at bay for a while."

Amy had a shrewd look upon her face. "Right, then I do have a plan. When we do approach the portal you place me in the middle, as if I am the weakest among you. You will try to protect me, after all, I am what she is after, she needs me."

They stared at her and Elladan had a puzzled expression on his face. "That makes sense yes? And then?"

Amy had a devious glimpse in her eyes, they all noticed that she by now seemed to have grown a little taller, not much but her posture was straighter, and her expression one of confidence. "When Thuringwethil strikes I will act as if I am terrified, and then I will bolt. She will go for me then, forget about you"

Elladan smiled, but his eyes revealed a huge dose of nervousness. " Yes, I bet that will work, she regards humans as naught but cattle, but are you capable of dealing with her?"

Amy took a deep breath, felt a wee bit dizzy. "Yes, I am ready. And yes, I can deal with that sucker too, remember, I am a lightbringer, my blood is poison"

Dan sort of squealed. "Are you going to let her….oh Eru, you are too brave!"

Amy grinned again, and the grin was a vicious one. "I have to, it will weaken her, and then I will strike"

Gandalf looked curious. "Exactly how do you plan on doing that?"

Amy shrugged. " I will know when the time comes for sure. Don't worry, I am going to make this day the most shitty one that vampire bitch has ever seen"

Legolas had gathered some of the archers and they prepared to move forth. All had arrows knocked and wore armor but that would be no protection against that ancient malice. Amy felt how the odd excitement made her feel bubbly, almost half drunk. It had to be a sort of hunters euphoria, knowing the prey was near. Galadriel took up the front, pretending to be using her ring and the others followed with Amy in the middle. She should have felt protected but she didn't. Shit, she should have been in doubt, been terrified and now she was almost looking forward to it? She had changed her personality a wee bit, that was for sure. Before she had been all about avoiding danger but now she was heading straight into it, feeling as if she was very ready to kick some immortal butt.

The archers looked nervous and who could blame them for that? After all, they were about to encounter something so ancient and evil only the oldest ones among the elves had any concept of its potential. Gandalf was constantly mumbling and Aiwendil looked as if he was trying to suck the last juice out of a very sour lemon. The forest behind the palace was very dense, it felt old and it was silent. Way too silent! Amy felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck, the bitch would have to react soon, they were getting closer by the minute and Amy could feel the portal now. It was like a hum in the air, an invisible tear in the very fabric of reality. Galadriel did sense it, she could see that very well. The elleth was shaking visibly and her hands seemed to be unable to grasp onto anything since they shivered like leaves.

The old building was almost hidden by a dense thicket of all sorts of bushes and Legolas whispered. "This was where they stored the surplus food and wine. It was just a huge warehouse, not very well built. "

Amy could see that, it was even more of a ruin than the palace and it was almost impossible to guess even the shape of the building. Thranduil had in fact also followed them, he did look a bit like a sulking toddler and he stayed at the back of the group but he did carried two deadly looking blades and Amy guessed that he was very eager to avenge the previous humiliation . Amy didn't like it very much, he was someone the old hag could target, she just hoped that he was as quick with the blades as other elves. Legolas had to have been reading her mind somehow, he whispered. "Ada is among the best warriors ever, only Glorfindel is able to beat him with blade in hand"

Amy smiled. "I don't doubt that, but I don't think Thuringwethil cares much about sword skills, she will attack regardless of such things"

The portal was right ahead of them now, invisible to the naked eye but everybody could feel it, like a cold draft coming from nowhere. Amy could see it, it looked like the shiny surface of a quiet pond and yet she could sense that the other side of it was everything but tranquil. She hissed, she had not felt the portal the last time she passed through it, but then she had been oblivious to all of this, and completely human. If she had approached it in this state she would have felt it right away and avoided it, but then again, if they hadn't crossed through they would have been transformed into vapor by the volcano. She wondered how they were faring in Imladris now, but she quickly shut that line of thought out. She had to focus on the here and now, it was crucial.

Galadriel whispered. "Can the portal be closed?"

Amy nodded, hiding her face. "Yes, it would be rather easy."

Gandalf sort of grunted. "It cannot look easy"

Galadriel lifted her hand and started chanting something, the air sort of crackled with energy and Amy could feel the portal shift ever so slightly but it didn't really close up. That ought to do the trick for sure.

Amy held her breath, folding her energy in around herself and everybody were ready. The archers were in position and she could hear that Elladan was breathing rather fast, they all were nervous now. What now? The enemy was close. Amy could sense that, but where was she?

The answer came from above, suddenly a thick almost smoke like mist descended upon them and Gandalf and Aiwendil shouted something and their staffs burst into light. The mist roared, no other word could describe the sound and Galadriel held her ring high. It shone like a freaking mag light, and the dark mist reared back. Amy had no idea what the golden haired elleth was saying, it had to be some sort of ancient elvish and there was laughter coming from within the swirling darkness. Legolas shouted something and arrows flew, pierced the mist from all directions and a loud shriek was the answer. The two wizards shielded everybody and Amy had a very strong belief that the mist otherwise would have been lethal in oh so many ways. Suddenly the mist disappeared and instead a veritable swarm of huge bats surrounded them, all trying to get to the elves and Istari gathered there.

The archers felled many and Amy did see that Thranduil with glee cut bats in half with an astonishing technique. The bats just fell to the ground and dissolved into mist again. This was no good, they didn't make any progress. There was laughter. "Fools, no mere slaves of the weak valar can harm me!"

Lightning shot out towards the staffs of the two wizards but it was sort of absorbed and Gandalf shouted. "You are naught but the lapdog of the dark lord, his tool. Go back to the void from whence you came, this is no longer your realm"

Suddenly the bats and the mist gathered and now Amy could see what Thuringwethil really looked like, a very tall and in fact beautiful creature but it was a cold beauty, one without feelings. She towered above them, a horrible power of sheer darkness and the staffs and the ring was the only thing keeping her at bay. " Oh but it is my realm, and soon I will feast upon you all!"

Amy squeezed Dan's hand for a short second, then she took a deep gasp of air and ran. She had to drag the monster away from the others, to protect them. She ran past some archers and headed into the woods, sensed that a clearing was straight ahead of her. There was a gust of wind and a stench of what could best be described as old unwashed socks and she knew that Thuringwethil was hot on her tail. Amy did run like she really was afraid, but she barely managed to get to the clearing before hands grasped onto her, strong cold hands which felt like steel. She was pulled up into the air and heard a chuckling laughter before sharp teeth sank into her shoulder. The pain made her groan but she pretended to be completely paralyzed by fear. The vampire did manage to get a few good mouthfuls before it suddenly stopped sucking, dropping Amy like she was red hot. Amy landed on her feet, the wound in her shoulder already closing itself up. She grinned, feeling herself grow.

Thuringwethil was clawing at her own neck, eyes wide open in horrified realization of having been tricked. The creature was gagging and wheezing and Amy felt how her own powers almost threatened to overflow, to burst from her like hot magma from an eruption. She reined them in, felt herself glowing intensely with a sheer white light. "Oh yes you cocksucking cunt, you have made a mistake this time, crapped on your leg so to speak"

Amy bared her teeth, the glow around her getting even stronger. "I am a vala now, a power. And you, for all your malice and all your wickedness, are just a maia. "

Thuringwethil hissed. "No, impossible, you were half human!"

Amy shook her head. " Oh I was half human but you see, dying sort of transforms you, it is something you ought to try, really. Your plan has backfired, you are sort of screwed!"

The dark maia let out a shriek of anger and rushed forth, tried to grasp onto Amy and was thrown back as if she hit a brick wall. Amy felt how the light within sort of pressed outwards and she let it loose. Tendrils of light seemed to poise like snakes for a few seconds before they burst forth, pressed their way into the maia. Thuringwethil screamed, a horrible sound that made the trees shake and the echo was thrown far and wide from the hills. The creature was down now, writhing on the ground and it was starting to glow as well. The light burning every last ounce of evil from its very being. Thuringwethil tried to grasp at the tendrils, throw them away and Amy felt herself hover beside the maia. "You have lost now, you will return to your brethren and maybe Manwê will have mercy upon you"

Thuringwethil spat. "Never, I will never surrender!"

She arched back, and for a second she went all black again, shrieking something Amy didn't understand before the light sort of exploded from within the creature and it simply dissolved into flakes of what could only be described as ashes. Amy stared at the spot where Thuringwethil had been laying, its spirit had been claimed by the valar, she could sense it so the monster hadn't escaped but what had it been shrieking? She didn't have to wonder for long, there were shouts being heard from the old ruin and she turned around and ran. They needed her help for sure.

The group had been gathered tightly, frightened by the sounds coming from the woods and the intense light they could see. They felt the magic in the air like the energy preceding a thunderstorm and they held their breath. Amy had been very confident, had she been too confident? Then things sort of quieted down until the portal became visible to everybody. The shimmering surface bulged and from it sprang a myriad of creatures from a nightmare. They looked a bit like spiders but were pale and almost transparent and horribly fast. The archers shot with deadly precision and luckily the creatures were flesh and blood and dropped like sacks of flour.

Legolas was shooting but Thranduil did run amok with his blades, now he did indeed show off his skills and cut through the armored bodies with deadly elegance. The two wizards did make spiders drop dead around them and even Galadriel did prove that she was a very skilled warrior. More and more creatures poured forth until suddenly there was a shout and Amy came running from the woods. She did look like a fury, her eyes ablaze and her hair flowing behind her. Galadriel shouted. "Shut the portal, something is coming, I can feel it!"

Amy nodded, she felt it too, Thuringwethil had dialed the right address so to speak, Ungoliant was coming. If the vampire couldn't win then they shouldn't either and Amy felt a streak of doubt. Not even Morgoth had been able to deal with this thing, and he had been the most powerful vala! She sensed the energy trying to push its way into this world, it was so dark, so hungry and so unstoppable. Amy wasn't strong enough to fight it, she would have to trick it somehow. She made the portal much tougher to cross, if the beast did take a physical form it would be much easier to fight it.

Gandalf shouted. "It is getting closer, do something!"

The spiders had stopped bursting forth, instead spiders came from the trees and the woods, all sorts of them, large and small and seemingly determined to sacrifice themselves for their queen. The ground was alive with them and nobody had time to do anything except keeping them at bay, many were probably venomous as hell. Amy was sweating, she could see it now, the huge spider, clawing at the portal, trying to push through. It was beyond description, that Morgoth himself had faced problems with this thing was no wonder. None of the others could help her, they were too busy and she could sense a mind out there, cold and arrogant and to this entity even a vala was nothing. Then it struck her, she was looking at it from the wrong end of the scale.

Amy had always been good at thinking outside of the box, she knew that she would have to rely on her human experiences now. She had talked about a bug bomb hadn't she? Well, she was a vala now, valar were able to create now weren't they? She gathered her focus, concentrated and in the air in front of her she suddenly saw a giant bug bomb, the size of a wolkswagen. Everybody stared at the cylindrical formed thing and Amy felt a bizarre need to laugh. She imagined being a tiny spider running over a floor being chased by the vacuum cleaner and threw that thought through the portal before she chunked the bug bomb after it and pulled the pin. "Eat this you piece of worthless shite!"

The entity reared back, confused. Nothing had ever treated it thus, with such a lack of respect and the cylinder burst into a choking smoke. If it hadn't chosen a physical form it wouldn't have caused it any harm at all but now it couldn't breathe and was thrown out of balance mentally. Amy sneered, she gathered all her energy and directed a blast of it directly at the portal before she simply willed it out of existence. It seized to be, it was no more. The peace which fell over the ruins was absolute, almost unnatural.

Then the peace was broken by the sound of laughter, wild and almost desperate. Everybody stared at Amy, had she snapped? She was pointing at the elven king and everybody turned around to see and even Legolas suddenly had a hard time keeping his face neutral. He just couldn't laugh at his own ada. Thranduil had been fighting the spiders like a demon and that was very visible. He was covered with goo from his boots to his hair, only the whites of his eyes was visible and he blinked and was obviously unaware of the state of his own person for he lifted an eyebrow in a manner that would have rendered even Elrond envious. "What?!"

Amy sniggered. "Oh this is precious, look at yourself!"

Thranduil took a look down and let out a very undignified little shriek before he tried to shake spider entrails and blood of his cloak and armor. Galadriel was giggling, then she took a few steps forwards and whispered something and the blood and gore was gone from the armor and cloak but it still stuck to the face and hair. "I am sorry my dear friend, but that is all I can manage"

Thranduil spat and Legolas threw him a cloak which he used to desperately wipe the worst of it off his face. Amy was still giggling and Elladan was wide eyed. "What was that thing you threw through the portal?"

Amy sniggered again. "The mother of all bug bombs, it ought to cause that goddamn overgrown daddy long-legs some breathing problems, for let's say, the next ten millennia?"

Gandalf seemed to be close to bursting into laughter and Radagast was wiping his eyes. Galadriel bit her lower lip. "May I suggest that we do return to the palace, and then rest a little before going back to Imladris? I am nervous something might have happened to everybody there"

Amy nodded. "Yes, wise words, let's. I feel famished by the way, does anybody have anything to eat, beside Lembas I mean? Honestly, I am sick and tired of those!"

Elladan just embraced her, completely overwhelmed with relief that she was okay, and that she still was herself. Amy just shrugged. "What?"

She was then thoroughly kissed and Elladan picked her up and carried her back to the horses bridal style and for once it felt okay to be treated like a damsel in distress. It wasn't as if she didn't deserve it.

The trip back to the king's caves went smoothly, most too overwhelmed to speak much and Amy just sat there and enjoyed being held by her beloved. When they reached the caves the king almost ran to the baths since he by then had gained a royal odor from all the spider blood still stuck to his royal person and his personal butler could later, snickering, tell that he had gotten the stuff everywhere, it had soaked through all his clothes and even his underwear had to be burned and the king had been scrubbing himself for over an hour before all the goo was gone. So for the next days he had a ruddier complexion than normal and his mood was if not the worst he had had pretty close to it.

Amy sort of made it up to him by transforming all the inferior wine in his cellar into his favorite Dorwinion vintage and so the king suddenly became more cheerful than for many ages. The group was very nervous about Imladris so they left rather soon, riding hard. Everybody was afraid for their beloved ones.

In the valley the spiders had simply overrun all the defenses, they were everywhere and so the elves were simply trying to stop them from entering the buildings. Most were built to withstand pretty much everything but the bad thing was the airy elvish architecture. The valley didn't have that many buildings without a lot of huge windows and so the population had to gather in the hall of fire and some huge storages. Even Glorfindel tired of killing spiders and the situation was getting dire. They had run out of flammable liquids, many warriors were wounded and the girdle had more holes now than a swizz cheese. Elured and Elurin were exhausted and Elrond was half asleep on his feet, trying to help the wounded. The teenagers and the kids had sought refuge in the hall, everybody was scared now and Lucy sat there being held by Lindir. The minstrel tried to cheer her up but she could feel him tremble with fear and the sound of the spiders trying to get in was nerve wreaking. She held onto his hand and kept whispering words of encouragement to him and he returned them. Lucy made a decision there and then, she had always been a rebel but now she felt the need to settle down. If they did survive this she wanted a family, she wanted a whole bunch of kids and a garden and a peaceful life without any more drama.

The workers had let out the horses from the stables and they did avoid the spiders easily since the beasts were after elves and every building was covered with spiders. It was a terrible sight and some buildings were burning too. It looked as if Imladris was done for, the Ellyn had formed tight walls around the ellith and the elflings and were ready to fight to the death to protect their loved ones should the spiders get through the walls and there was an odd quiet within every building. They could only stoically await their destiny.

The spiders were about to break through the door to the hall when they all heard a horrible sound, it was a scream, from afar and the spiders too screamed and suddenly they all collapsed and lay there in convulsions. The spiders were clearly dying and the warriors burst forth and started clubbing them to death. Franklin and the other warriors grasped whatever they could find and the former soldier had found a smiths hammer and crushed spider's heads with a sort of vengeful glee. The beasts didn't try to protect themselves, their mother was gone. They had no reason to live now and before an hour was gone all the spiders were dead. The elves cheered for a short time, then they started the horrible job of removing all the carcasses. They could pollute the river if they were allowed to rot where they lay so the horses were called back and helped pulling huge heaps of dead spiders into even greater heaps which were put on fire. There wasn't a drop of cooking oil or lamp oil left in the valley so they used molasses and grease instead.

Lucy and the others helped out too, for days they toiled with the job and when the shout was heard and they saw that the group was returning the valley did look almost normal. The key word was almost, Elladan and Elrohir were staring with their jaws almost on their chests and Gandalf was mumbling something which sounded impressed. There were still spider corpses here and there and the buildings had damages and there were wounded elves still in need of help. So for a few days nobody had the time nor the energy to tell their tales but finally they all gathered in the halls of fire to celebrate the victory and Amy had to tell everything twice.

Franklin had been knighted by Elrond and he had decided to become a teacher and teach tactics. After all, he did have a lot of military knowledge. Lucy moved in with Lindir and became very domestic all of a sudden, baking and washing and acting like the ideal housewife. Amy wouldn't have guessed that it was possible, it was a great shock to them all.

Amy was treated like a Goddess in the flesh, it annoyed her a lot and she tried to behave like before, sometimes shocking visitors with her rather uncouth behavior. But her powers were very handy sometimes, she did help Elrond strengthen the shields around Imladris and she did even join Elladan and Elrohir on their missions and she did kill orcs by the hundreds.

But she had to keep a low profile and did most of her work in secrecy and she learned a lot from Gandalf and Galadriel. She and Elladan sort of found a balance between themselves and she realized that yes, she was happy. Truly genuinely happy. The worst day of her life hadn't been that bad after all. The children had adapted to this new environment and some left to live in the human villages near by. Others chose to stay and a few even ended up with elven spouses. Mrs Southall did marry again, she had a crush on Elrond for some years but then a scribe came from Mirkwood and they fell head over heels in love. Amy was glad the poor woman finally learned what true love really was. Lucy did tell everybody that she was expecting on a lovely autumn morning and the whole valley congratulated a very flustered Lindir with a job well done. Amy had to laugh, the poor minstrel had never looked more embarrassed. Elured and Elurin grew up and both became very skilled warriors and they did help with the defenses and did also visit Mirkwood rather often since Thranduil was a distant relative of their great grandfather.

Years went by in peace, but then her gifts were required once more, the one ring emerged once more, and Sauron was rebuilding and his strength growing. He probably knew naught of the peril his former servant had created and everywhere his dark servants showed up, looking for that one object that could return him to his full power. Again Amy was thinking outside of the box, when Frodo brought the darn piece of jewelry to Imladris she suggested that they ought to let Sauron find the ring, everywhere! Nobody understood until she sort of created a copy of the ring which looked and felt and seemed to be the real deal with a few exceptions. To the dark lord the difference would of course be discoverable but not until he actually touched it and so Amy created thousands of copies and being the daughter of the great hunter she had no problems convincing beasts and birds of the importance of spreading the rings far and wide.

Before long the lands around Mordor were over flooded with these copies, to the servants of Sauron they all seemed to be the real one ring and they were scurrying around like desperate squirrels trying to retrieve them all. The fellowship had an easy task taking the real ring to Mordor for the magical aura of the ring drowned completely in the aura of all its copies. Sauron didn't even have a clue about what was happening until Frodo dropped the real ring into the volcano after having bribed off Gollum with half a dozen copies.

By then Amy had given Elladan twin daughters and a son and the family was a very happy unit except when Amy had to scold Elrohir for spoiling her kids completely. She got restless, sensing that a change was coming. The time of the elves was over and few were left. Elrohir and Elladan had sworn to stay until their sister was no more, and Amy supported them. She too longed to leave now, there were none left now off the ones she had come with, Lucy had become a very grand old lady of ninety before she had passed away peacefully in the arms of her Lindir. He and their four children had already sailed, heartbroken by the loss. Some of the families of her friends still lingered in the area but they didn't know the truth of their parents past and it was good that way. Amy knew she would meet her true father on the other side of the seas and it was an odd thought. Their ship was among the very last to leave, there were a few forest elves left in Greenwood and they would sail too but not yet.

When the ship reached the shores of the blessed realm Amy felt a sort of relief, she had been an oddball. Nobody had treated her with anything but respect but she had always been different, first as a person from another world and then as a deity of some sorts. Here she could blend in easily, or at least easier than before since maiar and valar were something everybody was used to.

They were welcomed by Elrond and others they had missed and for a few weeks Amy and the rest were left to themselves, to adapt and take things in. Then one morning Amy woke up to an odd sensation, someone was approaching and she knew who it was immediately. She got up and dressed with care, made sure to make Elladan calm down before he met his father in law. He came when the sun reached Zenit, and she did see that he was nervous. She had seen statues of him, and paintings but they didn't do him justice at all, he was way more handsome than she had anticipated, and more likeable. She did understand her mother now, he had to have been like an oasis of love and peace in a sea of grey and boring days. They had a long chat and Amy knew that she was loved and cherished even if he hadn't been there for her, and now she had a lot of new aunts and uncles and they all were eager to meet her. Since she now was a vala she was given the responsibility of taking care of the huge forests of Aman with her father and it was a task she found that she loved.

She and Elladan would roam the lands exploring for years at a time and as their children settled down and had children of their own they showed up only when they needed to. The freedom of the great lands was all she could have wanted and with her Dan by her side she was perfectly content. One day her powers would be needed again, but the final battle was still very far ahead and the days filled with joy. She never failed doing her duty, it was in her blood but she would never again be required to go beyond it to fulfill her fate. The former park ranger had found her true calling.

The end.


End file.
